Henry E. Irizarry
Army Staff Sgt. Henry E. Irizarry , 38 of Lajas, Puerto Rico
and resided in New York City. Unit:
of a scout
platoon of the 1st Battalion of the 69th Infantry Regiment, New York National
Guard1st Battalion 69th Infantry Regiment on Dec. 03, 2004 Died when his
Humvee was struck by a roadside bomb in Taji, Iraq
Henry E. Irizarry Muniz
Rest in Peace
Staff Sgt. Henry E. Irizarry died Friday in Taji,
where his unit was on patrol, the department said. ``He wasn't happy about going
to Iraq, but he knew it was his duty,'' said his widow, Jessica Irizarry, who
said she learned of her husband's death Friday night. ``He was in the reserves
for 20 years, and he took the responsibility seriously. He was such a good
man.'' Irizarry was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry Regiment, of
New York. Army officials said Irizarry's duties included reconnaissance and
gathering information on the enemy.
On Monday, however, it was not his military ability that his wife recalled, but
the personal side of a man she described as the love of her life and ``the best
father in the world.''
`He loved his children more than anything,'' said Jessica Irizarry, who met her
husband in New York, where they both lived before moving to Waterbury six years
ago.
``We met through a friend,'' she recalled. ``And even after all these years of
being married, I still loved the way he still looked at me. I knew from the look
how much I meant to him.''
The family moved to Connecticut in 1997. They were married for seven years, and
have three children. He has two from a previous relationship, and was a
grandfather.
Jessica Irizarry described her husband as kind and generous, taking delight in
making sure the couple and their children took a vacation each year and spent
time together whenever possible.
``He loved Disney World in Florida,'' she said. ``And he loved to go to
movies.''
Henry Irizarry was a leader at Aposento Alto Pentecostal Church in Waterbury.
``Church was very important to him,'' his wife said.
He was employed at Industrial Heaters in Waterbury.
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