DOB/DOD: May 10, 1982 (New London, CT) – May 25, 2010; 28 years old
MARITAL STATUS: Married Yesenia M. Hidalgo (1978-) on August 11, 2005 in East Hampton, CT
CHILDREN: Three sons, Edwin Jr. (2003-2004), Rolando M. (1998-), and Lorenzo (2006-).
LOCAL ADDRESS: Millstone Road; Waterford
ENLISTMENT: 2002
MILITARY OCCUPATIONAL SPECIALTY: 11B30; Infantryman
UNIT: Company A, 1st Battalion, 102nd Infantry Regiment (Mountain), 87 Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division; Norwalk, CT
FAMILY: Born to Ceferino (1953-) and Gladys Mercedes Rivera (1955-). Two sisters, Naomi (1977-) and Miriam Rivera-Farrar (1979-).
DECORATIONS: Awarded the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal with three devices, Global War on Terrorism Medal (Service), Armed Forces Reserve Medal, Army NCO Professional Development Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, Army Overseas Service Ribbon with “2” device, NATO ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) Medal – Afghanistan with device, Parachutist Badge (Basic), Combat Infantryman Badge, and the Meritorious Unit Commendation Ribbon with device.
CIRCUMSTANCES: Staff Sergeant Rivera died on May 25, 2010, at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, from wounds received on May 20, 2010, when his unit was attacked by enemy forces using indirect fire at Contingency Outpost Xio Haq, Afghanistan.
Waterford High School, Class of 2000.
From The Hartford Courant on May 27, 2010
By Rinker Buck
A SOLDIER’S ‘DUTY’
Wounded In 2nd Afghan Tour, State Resident Dies
Last summer, six months before he was deployed to Afghanistan for the second time, infantry Sergeant Edwin Rivera sat in his car in the driveway of his parent’s house in Waterford and explained to his mother why he was returning to war. It was the sad faces of the children he had seen in Afghanistan during his first tour there in 2006, he said, faces that still reminded him of why American soldiers were there. “When the U.S. soldiers drive by,” Rivera told his mother, Gladys, that night, “the children will scramble like mad in the dust just to get thrown a simple pencil from us. They don’t even have pencils. I was born for this. It’s my duty to protect those families over there.” Now, there is chilling immediacy to her memories, for Rivera has paid a high price for returning to those Afghan faces. Rivera died Tuesday night at National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland, of wounds he received in a firefight in Laghman Province on May 20. Rivera, a 2000 graduate of Waterford High School, left for Afghanistan in early January with the 1st Battalion of the 102nd Infantry Regiment, a Connecticut National Guard unit based in New Haven. Many of the soldiers, like Rivera, were on their second and third deployments to Afghanistan or Iraq. Rivera’s 700-member deployment group, which included the 250th Engineer Company of New London, was the largest deployment of the Connecticut Guard since the Korean War. Rivera’s family lives on a winding street of modest, meticulously kept houses about a mile from the New London line. His parents are hardworking Puerto Ricans who moved here in the 1970s, raised a family, and were proud to have their only son assert his identity as an American soldier, even after they faced the hardship of his first deployment in 2006 being extended from a promised 12 months to 15 months. Rivera, his mother said, returned from that long posting in Afghanistan personally subdued and doubtful about the progress American troops were making there. But he gradually recovered his old cheer and, after returning to his job as an evening shift security guard at the Millstone nuclear power plant, dove back into family routines. Rivera’s wife, Yesenia, usually leaves home early for her job in a dental office, so Rivera dressed and feeds their two sons, sees them off to the school bus, and picks them up after school before reporting for his shift at the nuclear plant. After he learned he would be deployed a second time, Rivera bought a webcam for his computer at home so he and Yesenia could see each other on his occasional calls home. Those routines changed after Rivera left in January. His children got off the bus at their grandmother’s. On weekends, his father, Ceferino, performed all the chores and mowed the lawn at Rivera’s house. “The center of the family shifts back to my house when Edwin is gone,” Gladys Rivera said. “I take the boys after school and, of course, am overjoyed to have them. But it’s also a daily reminder that Edwin is gone, so far away in a hard country. And now, of course, there are the faces and lives of other children to consider — two American children. Last November, while Rivera was preparing for deployment to Afghanistan at a training base in Indiana, Gladys found his son, Lorenzo, lying on the couch in her living room, staring at a photograph of his father in his Army uniform. Lorenzo was 4. When his grandmother asked him what he was doing, Lorenzo said, ‘I’m just looking at Daddy. I miss him already.”
From The Day (New London, CT) on May 31, 2010
By Julianne Hanckel | Day Staff Writer
VIGIL HONORS SOLDIER FROM WATERFORD, OTHERS WHO FELL
Holiday Service Remembers Those Who Defend U.S.
NEW LONDON — Staff Sergeant Edwin Rivera’s parents accepted a certificate of honor on his behalf during the Memorial Day Candlelight Vigil Sunday night at Waterfront Park. Rivera, 28, was wounded by indirect fire in a May 20 attack at Contingency Outpost Xio Haq, Afghanistan. Last Tuesday, Rivera died of his wounds at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. Rivera comes from a large family with more than 60 family members in New London County, said Rivera’s aunt, Gloria Sotomayor, who was at Sunday’s vigil. “We did make a sacrifice to be here, but we are very grateful for today’s ceremony,” Sotomayor said. “He was a happy child, a happy man, and we will miss him. His children will miss him, his wife will miss him, and his mother and father will miss him. We’ve been supporting each other from day one since we got the news,” she said. As the sun set over the Thames River, 100 people gathered to pay tribute to the men and women of the community who have served in the armed forces. “This is a wonderful, touching ceremony. There’s never enough done for the veterans,” vigil coordinator Donna Vendetto said. White paper bags with candles lit inside of them were lined along the shelf. The illuminated bags, which burned through the ceremony, were decorated with names, pictures, and brief passages to loved ones who had served their country. Jenn Milukas, 7, and her sister Alaina, 12, of Quaker Hill, sat at a picnic table decorating their luminary bag. “I drew a flag of the United States and a heart because that’s the symbol of the U.S.,” Jenna Milukas said. “The soldiers help protect me and make me feel safe.” Nearby, Jack Russell, 88, sat in a wooden chair with a white flower pinned to his shirt. Russell, who served in the Navy for parts of five decades, attended the ceremony to remember his late wife, who served in World War II. They were married for 50 years. “This is very important to me. It means an awful lot,” Russell said. The vigil was the culmination of Hope Week, an initiative sponsored by the New London public schools. “Take a moment and look around you. Do you see what a beautiful sight this is?” said Val Tomano, administrative aide for the Superintendent of Schools. “Once in a while, people tend to forget the meaning of Memorial Day. Feel the connection, the love, and the patriotic duty here tonight.”
From The Day (New London, CT) on June 2, 2010
WATERFORD — Staff Sergeant Edwin Rivera, 28, beloved husband, father, son, brother, uncle, and soldier, passed May 25, 2010, from wounds sustained in combat. With an adventurous spirit and a zest for life, Staff Sergeant Rivera joined the Connecticut Army National Guard in 2002, initially as a chemical weapons specialist, eventually transferring and becoming a combat infantryman. Staff Sergeant Rivera was proud to serve with Apache Company, 1st Battalion, 102nd Infantry Regiment (Mountain), located in Norwalk, during his second deployment to Afghanistan. Staff Sergeant Rivera’s professional achievements include graduating from the U.S. Army’s Airborne and Mountain Warfare schools along with the Warrior Leader’s Course. Staff Sergeant Rivera possessed a passion for his family and helping people, especially his soldiers. He always made it known that he considered his friends as family. His infectious attitude, sense of humor, and bright smile could easily light up a room. In fact, he was always trying to make people laugh because he was just naturally funny. Everything that Staff Sergeant Rivera did, he did with pride and lots of love. He was extremely compassionate and empathized with people easily. He loved hard and loved deeply, always wearing his heart on his sleeve. Staff Sergeant Rivera was born May 10, 1982, in New London, the son of Ceferino and Gladys Rivera. He was a graduate of Waterford High School and was employed by Securitas Security Services at Millstone Power Station. In addition to his parents, Staff Sergeant Rivera is survived by his wife, Yesenia; sons Rolando and Lorenzo; two sisters, Naomi and Miriam Rivera; and nephews, Marquis Rivera and Elias Jovani Dervos. He was predeceased by his son Edwin Rivera Jr., two nieces, Maya and Mikayla Sousa, and his grandmothers, Patria Rodriguez and Anna Vargas. While he will be greatly missed, we are consoled by the fact that he leaves behind two bright lights in his wonderful sons, Rolando and Lorenzo, ages 11 and 4. A fund has been established for the children of Staff Sergeant Edwin Rivera. Donations may be made to the “Staff Sergeant Edwin Rivera Children’s Fund” and may be mailed to Chelsea Groton Bank, Staff Sergeant Edwin Rivera Children’s Fund, c/o Anne L. Ogden, 157 Boston Post Road, Waterford, CT 06385. Calling hours will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. on Friday, June 4, at Nett Hall, Camp Rell, Niantic. Staff Sergeant Rivera’s funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, June 5, at Nett Hall, Camp Rell, Niantic. Burial with full military honors will follow in Jordan Cemetery, Boston Post Road, Waterford.
Memorialized at Camp Nett, 38 Smith Street, Niantic, Connecticut. The memorial brick with his name is the far-right brick in the 2nd row.
From NorwichBulletin.com on June 6, 2010
By Paul Petrone
Mourners pay last respects to slain Waterford Guardsman
Nearly 1,000 mourners came to Camp Rell Saturday morning for a final goodbye to Connecticut Army National Guard Staff Sergeant Edwin Rivera. The 28-year-old Waterford resident died May 25 from injuries he suffered May 20 in Afghanistan.
Members of the Patriot Guard, a group that attends funerals of military members nationwide, surrounded the entrance of Nett Hall with hoisted flags as family members, dignitaries, and veterans poured into the funeral service. Rivera’s parents, wife, and children entered the building, with Gov. M. Jodi Rell behind them.
“It touches you,” Vietnam veteran Thomas Burke, of Griswold, said of the funeral. “It’s phenomenal that this many people came to show their support, show their patriotism.”
The hall, with a seating capacity of 300, quickly filled, forcing many to stand for the services. Another building behind Nett Hall was opened, and it filled with people who watched the funeral on a giant TV screen.
“This was bigger than most any other (funeral) I have gone to,” said Maj. Charles Jaworski, a spokesman for the Connecticut National Guard, who has attended several similar ceremonies. “The community support we have received for him has been almost unprecedented.”
The service featured singers and a eulogy from a former co-worker of Rivera at Millstone Power Station in Waterford. It was translated into Spanish because Rivera’s family is from Puerto Rico. During the service, his family accepted the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and the Combat Infantryman’s Badge awarded to Rivera.
“It was sad but great,” said Sia Gonzalez, a friend of Rivera. “There were too many people crying. It was hard to pay attention to the stories.”
After the service, Army pallbearers carried Rivera’s coffin to a waiting hearse for the trip to Jordan Cemetery in Waterford, where he was buried with full military honors.
Hundreds of people lined the sides of the road between Camp Rell and the cemetery, waving flags as the funeral procession passed. Police officers blocked traffic so the procession could travel to the cemetery unhindered.
“It’s difficult to find any good in it,” Patriot Guard member Bob Stone said. “I certainly believe the community support does help; people are doing something.”
Rivera, a 2000 graduate of Waterford High School, was shot by indirect fire on May 20 in Afghanistan’s Laghman Province. He was taken to the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, where he died May 25.
He is survived by his wife, Yesenia, and two children, a stepson Rolando, 11, and a son Lorenzo, 4. Rivera is the fourth Connecticut National Guardsman to die since September 11, 2001, and the second to die in Afghanistan.
“It really forces you to remember we are a country at war,” Jaworski said. “We train for conflicts like this and hope we are not called, and obviously, sometimes we are called.”
From obits.mlive.com
Hello Rivvy. I am sure by now you know your brother, Sergeant Kenneth “Saavy” Saavedra, has joined you in heaven. He loved you no different, as if you were brothers related by blood. He could not ever reconcile that you were gone. His love was as deep as the pain he suffered over your passing right to the very day he passed, July 15, 2012. I think when he met you, he finally met a kindred spirit. Not just because you both served together in Afghanistan, but because you and he had so many similar characteristics. You were both two very good men. Both of you were good to people, made people laugh, loved a lot, and basically had wonderful qualities. This world has definitely sent home two angels and is a less better place. But now you are together, which is good, because we can only imagine how happy you two were to be reunited with one another and your loved ones that went on before you. Our heart and pain aches tremendously over the loss of our son Saavy, but we find comfort in knowing you two are together again. Take care of each other, continue to love one another, and know that one day, we will all be reunited again. Please give my son a huge hug from me and let him know he was truly one of the lights in my world that has gone out forever.
— Evelyn Huneke
Dear Mr. & Mrs. Rivera and family, I have known Ed for about 5 years, and that very first time I met him, I knew he had a loving, kind, and giving heart. After I got to know Ed, I learned that if he wanted to do something, no matter what it was, he put 200% into whatever he did. he always did whatever he did with pride and dignity, with his head held high like he knew exactly what he had to do. I admire Ed for all of his qualities, which are way too many to list. He stayed calm in a bad situation and, when needed, at the perfect time, diffused the situation with his level head and calm demeanor. I met Ed through my boyfriend, now ex-boyfriend (Chad), his brother (Jon), his sister (Brandi), and Sue and Nick at the time. I was living with the family, but what surprised me was every time without fail he never had to knock to come in like he was a part of the family. Soon after that, I learned he was and always will be for all of eternity!!
Dear Yesenia and boys, I hope that since I dropped the sympathy cards off for Mrs. Rivera and you and the boys that it’s gotten easier every day. There are no words to express how much Ed loves you and the boys, and he always will. I was at your wedding (which you looked gorgeous by the way). I was at your New Year’s Eve party, and Ed was always around when I had my two beautiful babies. It seems like he was always around. My son, who is 4 years old, called Edwin “Uncle Ed.” They got along like my son (Chad Jr) trusted Ed with his life. I could never know how you feel, but just know that when you look at little man, it’s Edwin staring back at you. He will and has already shown signs he’s going to grow up to be just like Edwin. My deepest Sympathy goes out to you, the boys, and the rest of the family.
— Stephanie
I have known Edwin since he was a young boy. He has been friends with my daughter since grade school. I will always remember his lovely face and sweet smile. I am so very deeply saddened that his physical body is not here any longer to receive the gracious, respectful hugs I would get EVERY time I would see him. I know that Edwin’s spirit remains. I would like to send his family, from the depths of my heart, my utmost sympathies. My heart greatly aches for all of you. Words could never say enough. May our wonderous God pour his grace and love down on you and give you peace that surpasses all understanding. With love, Dawn
— Dawn Donovan
Memorialized on the 1st Battalion, 102nd Infantry Monument, Long Wharf Drive, and Sargent Drive, New Haven, Connecticut.
Staff Sergeant Rivera is buried in Jordan Cemetery, 240 Boston Post Road, Waterford, Connecticut; Section 2010, Lot 11.
