| Graduation Year | Class of 2004 |
| Date of Passing | Feb 01, 2006 |
| About | Army Pfc. Caesar S. Viglienzone Died February 1, 2006 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom 21, of Santa Rosa, Calif.; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Ky.; killed Feb. 1 when an improvised explosive device detonated near his Humvee in Baghdad. Pfc. Caesar Viglienzone often lamented the conditions he endured in Iraq in emails home and postings on his Web site, but he never stopped believing in his work there, relatives said. “In his last e-mail to his cousin, Sam, he said, ‘Iraq is definitely going to be OK. ... The vast majority of Iraqis want us here, not to keep occupying their county forever but want us to stay, finish the job and pass the torch on to them,”’ Viglienzone, 21, and two others died doing that job when a roadside bomb exploded near their Humvee in Baghdad, the Department of Defense announced. On his MySpace.com Web site, Viglienzone posted photos of himself in Iraq and wrote of his experience there. In a posting on Jan. 15, he looked forward to his two-week leave in March “which should be a spectacular tease.” “He would have rather been at home at times, but the guys there were his buddies. He was an only child; they were his brothers,” his mother, Norma Viglienzone, said. Born in Honolulu, Viglienzone grew up in Santa Rosa went to Piner High School, and joined the Army a year after graduating from Ridgway High School. He was deployed to Iraq last September, two weeks after his 21st birthday. “Caesar’s decision to join the Army was born from a desire to do something he could be proud of and all of his family could be proud of,” Ray Viglienzone said. “He was proud and we are proud of him.” |
