R.I.P. Alex Jimenez

I had the somber responsibility on July 11th of covering a story close to my family. 25 year old Alex Jimenez was a soldier serving in Iraq last year when his brigade was ambushed by insurgents. Alex was kidnapped along with two other soldiers and even though the body of one was found a few days after the attack, Alex remained MIA until Army reps delivered the news that his body had been found and identified earlier in the week. Alex's family lived next door to my aunt and uncle for many years so they are good friends, and would always be present at their family gatherings.

I became aware that there was an update on Alex, ironically enough, through Facebook as one of my cousins had updated her status reflecting the bad news. This was before any of the other news agencies or wires had received an alert as to what was happening. I called my family members and soon found out the sad details. Some of my cousins and my aunt and uncle were consoling Alex's mom, Maria Duran, during this tragic period.

As a reporter, it is my job to cover this event, but as someone with a personal connection to the story, I felt that I had the duty to make sure that the coverage was tasteful, that Alex was reflected as the hero he truly is, and that the focus of the story was not simply of a mother crying for her son, but of the sacrifices our families make when our children fight for our country.

There were some frustrating moments while I was waiting at the news conference for Maria Duran to make her statement. I saw some reporters attempting to sneak "exclusives" with the mother by trying to intercept her on her way in. I also saw some jostling and pushing among the camera crews for the best angle, etc. While I did have direct access to Mrs. Duran, I chose not to exploit my connections for an exclusive, and to allow a mother to, albeit with every major news network parked outside her door, grieve for her son.

I also found out later that Mrs. Duran arrived late to the press conference, not because she was running errands or at church, but because her employer did not let her take the day off on the day she was to go before dozens of cameras to speak to the country about her loss. She works as a home attendant and while it is extremely important that someone cover her clients, I couldn't understand how her employer did not make the extra effort in this situation. This only added to the tragedy of the moment and also reflects the true reality of the difficulties many Latino families face in adjusting to life after they've lost loved ones in these wars.

My deepest condolences go out to the family of Alex Jimenez, and my utmost gratitude and appreciation for the service he gave to this country. It is easy to forget as we enjoy the freedoms we have at home, that they come from young men and women like Alex, willing to give their lives for an ideal of freedom and democracy.