Army Maj. Eduardo Caraveo decided at age 42 he wanted to join the Army Reserve and serve his country.
Born in Mexico, Caraveo moved to El Paso, Texas as a teenager before moving to Prince William County, Virginia, and working as a doctor.
In November 2009, while he was preparing himself for his first overseas deployment to Afghanistan, he was shot and killed during an attack at Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas along with a number of other service members by an Army psychiatrist.
A ceremony was held on this May when Caraveo’s name was added to the “Roll of Honor," a memorial stone to honor fallen military who had ties to Prince William County.
Prior to Caraveo the criteria for the memorial, which has names on it dating back to World War II, did not allow for members of the military to be honored if they had died on American soil.
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That changed when Yesli Vega, the Prince William Coles District supervisor, championed to put Caraveo’s name on the “Role of Honor” granite stone by the county government's headquarters.
“I was so happy to have been a part of seeing this change through so that Caraveo’s name could be up there with so many others that served our country,” Vega said.
“You have so many folks that fight for this nation and believe in the principles this nation was founded on and there’s people who give their life for us,” Vega said. “It is vital to honor and remember them and to teach their kids that the United States is the greatest nation in the world.”
She said Caraveo’s wife, Angela Rivera, and sons deserve to see their dad and husband’s name up with so many others who served and lost their lives for this country.
“I’m glad we were able to give this local hero the honor he deserves,” Vega said. “And I’m glad [Angela] and her sons were able to come out and join us in acknowledging and honoring Caraveo.”
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