In honor of Memorial Day, we'll be sharing stories from some of the brave soldiers who have served our country. This weekend is a time to remember those who have fought and fallen for our freedoms. We are forever grateful.
When Cesar “Doc” Baez deployed to Iraq in 2005, he left his wife, Rosanna, and three young daughters at home. Rosanna was also pregnant with their fourth child.
“Doc,” a moniker given to Navy corpsmen who serve with a Marine unit, was a master-class learner and a natural leader. He was a former Recon Marine, had just finished law school and was assigned to “The Fighting Fifth,” one of the more legendary regiments of the Marine Corps. This regiment earned the Marine Corps it’s nickname “devil dogs” in WWI. Because of this, and Baez's former role as a Marine, he was often called “Devil Doc.”
Doc Baez’s duty in combat operations was to tend to the wounded. While bullets flew around his head, his job was to move from Marine to Marine, making sure injuries were triaged. Any Marine will tell you there is no one more loved and protected in a unit than the corpsman. And with Doc, it was no different. He put more into learning about combat wounds than into anything else. He felt it was his sole responsibility to make sure that the Marines in his unit went home to their families.
After being in Iraq for a few months, Doc received a care package from Rosanna. Inside, he found a pair of blue booties that their baby would wear. Doc was to have a son. Nicholas Cesar Baez was born after his father died. When he was younger, Nicky didn’t understand that he’d never get to meet his dad. He would ask, “where’s Dad?” and Rosanna would try to explain that he was in Heaven and is now the family's guardian angel — concepts that would be lost on any 3-year-old.
In life, Doc doted on his children. He loved to make a big bed of blankets to watch “Scooby-Doo” with his kids, and he’d spoil them with stuffed animals from Iraq. Now, Doc and Rosanna’s kids are grown. It’s been 15 years since their dad passed. Isabel, 23, is a teacher in Houston. Sydney, 20, and Suzanna, 19, both just finished their first year of college. Nicky is almost 15, and he’s still lovingly harassed and teased by his protective older sisters. Rosanna says that even though he never met his father, he has very similar mannerisms and is sometimes the spitting image his dad.
Doc Baez died June 15, 2006, as a result of enemy small arms fire while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar Province, Iraq. Petty Officer 2nd Class Cesar Baez – we thank you.