SAN DIEGO – Two members of the service killed during a border security mission to New Mexico last week were identified as US Marines based at Camp Pendleton in the County of San Diego.
The 1st marine division identified them as a CPL lance. Albert A. Aguilera, 22, from Riverside, California, and Lance CPL. Marcelino M. Gamino, 28, from Fresno, California.
They were declared dead at the University Medical Center in El Paso, Texas, the division said in a statement. A third sailor injured next to them was in critical condition at the medical center, he said.
The three were in a vehicle that was part of a caravan when he crashed Tuesday morning, the division said.
The accident in an area just north of El Paso was reported shortly before 9 a.m. on Highway 9 in the New Mexico near the Santa Teresa border patrol station in Santa Teresa, the Affilié de NBC reported, Ktsm d’El Paso.
The navies were part of the southern border of the joint military operational force, which seeks to increase security along the American-Mexican border. This year, American forces are noted under the consolidated military command after President Donald Trump declared an emergency and exploited the defense budget for the effort.
The 1st marine division said in a statement that Aguilera and Gamino were combat engineers with the 1st battalion of combat engineer at Camp Pendleton. Gamino was decorated with the National Defense Service medal and a maritime service deployment ribbon.
He deployed in Darwin, Australia, as part of a rotation force last year, the division said.
Last month, nearly 3,000 troops in active service were deployed at the American-Mexican border as part of Trump’s efforts to stop migrants and drug trafficking.
Trump did not officially comment on the navies.
Representative Veronica Escobar, D-Texas, who represents El Paso, said in a statement: “I am saddened by the loss of two American soldiers who were killed in a yesterday accident in Santa Teresa. I pray that the third member of the service that remains in a serious state is restored, and I think of the families of all the people involved.”
Lieutenant-Colonel Marine Tyrone A. Barrion, commander of the 1st battle of the combat engineer, said in the 1st declaration of the marine division that the loss of the two spear corporals “is deeply felt” in the military branch.
“I extend my sincere condolences and my prayers to the families of our fallen brothers,” he said. “Our absolute priority at the moment is to ensure that their families and the navies affected by their death are fully supported during this difficult period.”
The cause of the accident remained under the survey, said the division.
Courtney Kube contributed.
