Survivors group assures fallen military are never forgotten

For the past seven years Gilbert Munoz of Tucson and his wife Mary have tried to cope with the death of their son, Army Capt. Gilbert Munoz, 29, who died Feb. 9, 2005, just two days after his first wedding anniversary.

The Special Forces detachment commander was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) Fort Bragg, N.C. His family says he enjoyed what he was doing and was good at his job.

“For us it feels like yesterday. I don’t think there’s anything such as closure when it comes to the death of a son,” explained Gilbert Munoz, a member of the Fort Huachuca Survivor Outreach Service Program.

Since 2008, Gilbert’s parents and sisters have been actively involved in SOS to help them connect with other survivors and cope with their loss.

In 2009, through Army Community Service, the Army developed Survivor Outreach Services. The program assists survivors with any issues or concerns they may have involving the loss of a loved one.

When the program started in 2009, SOS Support Coordinator, Alma Estrada, called all the survivors in her database dating back to 1990. She gave them an official condolence through the garrison commander and then asked if they needed any assistance.

The father of Sgt. Natale Salvatore Cataudella who died on August 30, 2003, in Balad, Iraq, told Estrada all he wanted to do was view an Up-Armored Humvee like the one his son had passed away in. With the help of the National Guard unit in Phoenix, they were able to set up a viewing for Cataudella at the Valencia Armory in Tucson.

Since then, SOS has assisted families of survivors in a variety of ways in order to ease the pain of their loss and recognize their fallen military member.

“We plan to be there for our survivors for as long as they need us to be there,” said Estrada.

A survivor’s outreach group meets once a month on both Fort Huachuca and in Tucson.

On post, members meet in the Desert Lanes Bowling Alley.

In Tucson, the group meets at the Arizona Veterans Home at 555 East Ajo Way in Tucson.

Dates vary, depending on when it is convenient for members to meet.

For more information about the SoS program, contact Estrada, 533.6879, or alma.estrada1@us.army.mil.