What ever became of Juanito and Maria?

The cover of our first Memorial Day issue was unusual for us: no band photos, no jokes, just Bob Aul’s un-ironic portrait of a man in uniform, standing in front of an American flag. Inside was his story: 19-year-old Private Ernesto Guerra of Long Beach, killed in Baghdad almost three years ago. Guerra left behind Juanito, the 11-year-old brother who adored him, and Maria, his bereft mother who—feelings about the war aside—was immensely proud of her enlisted son.

Maria was undocumented, and the entire family had been eager for the day when Ernesto would turn 21, old enough to initiate the naturalization process for his mother. After the death of her son, Maria’s status was a distant consideration, but it created real difficulties: Where do you bury your child if you aren’t a citizen in the country that you call home? Another worry: Maria and Juanito lived in the projects, members of a demographic that made Juanito a constant target of Army recruiters even at the tender age of 11.

It has been almost a year since Ernesto’s story ran, and in that time Ernesto’s family has been given one piece of good news: Maria was approved for residency in early October, with an assurance that her green card would arrive in the mail within 90 days. Eight months later, it hasn’t arrived. Until it does, Maria won’t be able to return to Mexico to visit Ernesto’s grave. Juanito, now 13, is doing better. Maria sees that he takes full advantage of the counseling that’s available to him. His anger is fading, and his grades are improving.

They still live in the projects. Their home has been burgled four times since Feb. 1—once by people they know, people who were—and remain—their neighbors. But for now they’re staying put. Maria worries about moving while her green card is in the mail. In the meantime, she’s preparing herself for her new status and all of the opportunities it will afford: she’s taking citizenship classes and one computer course after another. The moment the green card is in her hand, she says, she’ll be ready to move, having saved up enough money to buy her first home.

Tags: ernesto guerra, iraq, Long Beach, memorial day, War