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Lawn speaks louder than words

It took a dozen cans of spray paint and 13 hours of work for Diego Gomez of Spring Hill to display his joy in being able to call himself an American.

By MICHAEL KRUSE
Published September 13, 2005

SPRING HILL - Diego Gomez has a family and a house and a job, and he's grateful for that. And when this man has something to say, well, he tends to say it with a weed wacker.

Early last week, then, approaching today's fourth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and in the middle of the worst of Katrina's aftermath, he went outside and wrote what he wrote in his lawn.

Because, the 39-year-old said Friday evening outside his home on Rio Circle, he grew up in Costa Rica and then moved to Long Beach, Calif., when he was 17, "just to explore something else, to see if I can get a better life."

Because he didn't know any English when he did that - not one word - but learned by listening to people talk and watching TV.

Because he met his wife, Janet, in California, and then moved to the Bronx in New York, and then got married there.

Because his favorite sport is baseball and his favorite team is the Yankees.

Because he moved down here and got a job as a custodian at Hernando High School and started a company mowing lawns, too.

Because he bought a house, with three bedrooms - his first, his own - a neat, stucco house that he painted greenish gray.

Because his neighbor, Brian Kane, watches his house when he goes on vacation, and because he does the same for Kane.

Because he has two children who were born in this country: Stephanie, 16, a junior at Springstead High School who's a straight-A student, and Alex, 10, a fifth-grader who gets A's and B's at J.D. Floyd Elementary.

Because he studied American history and took a test and became a citizen on Sept. 17, 2003.

Because now he wears a "Proud To Be An American" ball cap.

At least when he's not wearing his "Ground Zero Twin Towers" one.

Because last week, when Chief Justice William Rehnquist died, he lowered the flag in his yard to half-staff.

"Because I'm happy in this country," he said Friday. "They give me a chance to stay here. They let me be a citizen."

And because he had done it before. Once for Sept. 11. Twice for July Fourth.

So last week, Diego Gomez thought of the design in his head and measured it out with his feet. It took five hours on Sunday and another eight hours on Monday. It took 12 cans of spray paint: six of red, four of white, two of blue.

By Friday, standing next to the letters on his lawn, he explained why he did what he did.

Why?

"Biggest thing," he said, "I got my two kids. And a real nice wife. I'm happy to this country for giving me a real nice family.

"I thank God we got work to do.

"And health."

Why?

"Just to tell America that we have to stay together, in difficult times and in good times," he said. "We still have to stay together, no matter if somebody did damage to us, any terrorists or nature. The storms. We have to help each other. That's the only way. We are the No. 1 country in the world.

"And this is why."

Here, as the sun started to set on the corner of Rio Circle and Fawn Lane, carved into his lawn and painted red, white and blue, Diego Gomez had made his message clear:

UNITED WE STAND

911.

[Last modified September 13, 2005, 01:46:17]