Family, friends bid farewell to a 'patriot and warrior'

Cpl. John Travis Rivero was the only Florida National Guard soldier killed in the war in Iraq.

GAINESVILLE - Cpl. John Travis Rivero, the only Florida National Guard soldier killed in the war in Iraq, was remembered Monday as a patriot who lived to serve others.

Rivero, 23, was an infantryman assigned to Company C, 2nd Battalion, 124th Infantry Regiment from Orlando.

"He felt strong about his mission as a soldier," Maj. Gen. Douglas Burnett, adjutant general of the Florida National Guard, told about 200 mourners. "His loss is a tragedy that will go on forever. We will miss him."

Rivero was killed when a Humvee he was riding in overturned in western Iraq. He was on an operational mission in support of Special Forces during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Brig. Gen. Jimmy Watson, assistant adjutant general, said it was hard to find the words to express Rivero's sacrifice and his family's loss.

"We are here today to honor one of our own - a young man, an American, a patriot and warrior for our nation," Watson said.

"What we do in the Army is tough and demanding. We take the sons and daughters of America and train them to accomplish incredible tasks. We ask them to do the hard things. And like Travis, they perform magnificently. Those of us that will take him to his final resting place today are blessed to have served with him."

Rivero was buried with military honors, with Watson presenting the American flag that had covered the silver casket to Rivero's mother, Patricia Gardham of Cambridge, Ontario, Canada. An honor guard fired a rifle salute. A bugler played taps.

Before the service, a video showing Rivero as a youngster and a young man played on a TV at the front of the chapel. Enlarged photos at the back of the chapel showed the soldier who was described by his family and friends as fun-loving, with a winning smile and a sense of adventure.

"He had a love for life," said Robert Couliette, who runs a maintenance company that employed Rivero.

Rivero grew up in Gainesville and graduated from Buchholz High School in 1998. He attended Santa Fe Community College in Gainesville and the University of South Florida, where he was studying computer science and engineering before leaving for military duty in January.

He enlisted in the Florida Army National Guard in 1998. While deployed to the Middle East, Rivero was promoted to corporal.

Rivero, already awarded the Army Achievement and Army Reserve Component Achievement medals, was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal and the Florida Cross during Monday's service.

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