Lawrence prays for good news on soldier ambushed in Iraq
Family, friends wait and wonder
LAWRENCE -- Family, friends, and neighbors prayed yesterday for the safe return of one of their own, the weightlifting son of a Dominican-born carpenter who was seized Saturday in Iraq by insurgents linked to Al Qaeda.
Across the city and, in particular, in his neighborhood of bodegas and two-family houses flying American and Dominican flags, residents said they were hoping for the best after learning that Army Specialist Alex R. Jimenez was among three soldiers missing after his patrol was attacked south of Baghdad.
Jimenez's family learned one bit of news yesterday, said Wendy Luzon, a family friend. The military has determined that the badly burned body of one soldier recovered after the attack was not that of Jimenez, she said.
Beyond that, she said, Jimenez's father, Ramon, his mother, and wife were together in New York City, awaiting updates from the military.
The Islamic State of Iraq, a Sunni insurgent group with ties to Al Qaeda, has said that it captured the soldiers and has warned the military that any search for them would be in vain.
The military intensified its search yesterday. More than 4,000 US troops and 2,000 Iraqis drained canals and went house to house. Aircraft dropped 50,000 leaflets offering up to $200,000 for information leading to the return of the missing soldiers.
"Everyone is up in arms in this city," said Nunzio DiMarca, a Lawrence city councilor who said he once traded weightlifting tips with Jimenez, 25. "Everything that I've heard about him was he was going to make a career in the military. We hope that nothing happens to him."
Luzon and others canceled plans to hold a candlelight vigil outside the Jimenez home last night, fearful that broadcast images of the scene would draw more attention to Jimenez and jeopardize his safety, said Francisco Ureña, director of the city's Veterans Services Department.
Mayor Michael J. Sullivan said the city was waiting for consent from the family before pouring out its support with ribbons and signs.
Though his father has protested the Iraq war, Jimenez felt called to serve, friends said.
"Alex was very committed to his cause," Luzon said. "He was very committed to the Army."
Sandy Almonte, 32, a family friend, recalled another side of the soldier. "He was very calm, very friendly, very caring," said Almonte, a counselor who deals with domestic violence cases. "He even participated in a fund-raiser against domestic violence for us."
Friends said Jimenez was to return to Lawrence in June and planned to sign up for four more years in the Army. Almonte said Jimenez told everyone he met that he hoped to see the world. "He really wanted to visit Europe," she said.
Outside the house where Jimenez's father lived in a basement apartment, neighbors said they were struggling to cope with the apparent kidnapping. Ramon Jimenez's van was parked on the street, where he had left it when he received word from two soldiers on Sunday that his son was missing, neighbors said.
"It hurts me," said Jaime Rivera, who lives on the second floor of the house. "He's just 25, and I'm 23. It hurts because he was fighting for us. He was one of us, saving us. You just hope he comes back soon."
State Representative William Lantigua said Jimenez was an example of the sacrifices Lawrence residents, many of them Latino, are making in the Iraq war. In September 2005, Sergeant Pierre A. Raymond, 28, died from injuries he suffered in an insurgent attack. He is the city's only known casualty in the war, said the state's Department of Veterans Services.
Luzon said everyone who knew Jimenez was proud of his service. "We support the troops, not the war," she said.
Levenson can be reached at mlevenson@globe.com; Contreras at rcontreras@globe.com. 