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Source: The Washington Post, AP and
washingtonpost.com
Naval Petty Officer 3rd Class Daniel
Martin Caballero, 21, was poised to
see the world. He joined the Navy in
1998, trained as an electronics
technician in Chicago and had worked
for two years at the Pentagon, most
recently staging satellite video
teleconferences.
In December, Caballero would have
started his first assignment at sea
-- not bad for a Texas kid whose
only travel had been to visit
relatives back in Mexico.
Caballero is among those killed
during the Sept. 11, 2001 attack on
the Pentagon.
His mother, Carmen Cabellero,
remembered her only son as a
committed sailor, determined to rise
through the ranks, always bringing
his electronics and naval textbooks
with him when he visited.
"He was quite dedicated to what he
wanted to do," Caballero said, "to
all his dreams, to his country."
As a teenager in Houston, Caballero
was not into sports or other
organized activities, according to
his family. Instead, he liked
playing pool or bowling with
friends, or taking apart electronic
toys. But Carmen Caballero said her
son never put the toys back
together, so she was surprised to
discover his aptitude for
electronics once he entered military
life.
Carmen Caballero, who works in a
medical office, and her husband, a
body shop technician, had talked
about visiting their son in
Washington before his Pentagon tour
ended. They declined the Navy's
offer to bring them here after the
attack.
"We just feel like it would be
really harder for us to just stand
there and see the gap in the wall
there, where the destruction
happened, and not be able to do
anything," Carmen Caballero said. "I
don't think that we could do that."
– Debbi Wilgoren |
