A somber homecoming

                                                            Photo by Jennifer Cappuccio Maher

Military personnel escort the flag-draped casket bearing the body of California
Army National Guard Sgt. Carlo Francisco Eugenio, of Rancho Cucamonga,
Thursday, Nov. 10, 2011, at L.A./Ontario International Airport in Ontario, Calif.
Eugenio was killed on Oct. 29, 2011, while serving in Afghanistan.

Thursday was a sad day for Filipinos in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.

The body of Sgt. Carlo Francisco Eugenio arrived, ending its journey from Afghanistan, where he was serving as a member of the U.S. National Guard and where he was killed on Oct. 29, 2011.

Eugenio, 29, was born in Manila and was a resident of this Southern California city which is home to a small but tight-knit Filipino community.

Eugenio was killed when the vehicle he was driving was struck by a roadside bomb. He was the first National Guardsman from California to be killed in Afghanistan, a grim milestone for the state.

Making the day even more poignant and somber was that it was the eve of Veterans Day, a day when the U.S. pays homage to its citizens who have served in the armed forces but which in reality is devoted by all to honor even those who are still on active duty, and especially those who have perished.

Eugenio’s body arrived at L.A./Ontario International Airport in Ontario, a city right next to Rancho Cucamonga. In a somber ceremony, his flag-draped casket was taken down from the aircraft by military pallbearers. A photo taken by a local photographer tells the story eloquently. The six pallbearers, perhaps members of Eugenio’s National Guard Unit, are all grim-faced, as another offers a salute. A crew member of the plane presses a palm over his chest.

A group of Eugenio's closest relatives (consisting of about 40 people, according to a report in the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, the local newspaper) gathered at the airport to receive his body.

Eugenio was the bunso (youngest) of the family. Family members and friends quoted in the newspaper report remembered him as being fond of the outdoors and said he was “the life of the party.”

Many others were on hand to honor Eugenio. In all, about 150 people attended the ceremony at the airport. Among them were local firefighters and members of the Patriot Guard Riders, a group of motorcyclists who attend the funeral of service men and women.

The motorcyclists then escorted the hearse carrying Eugenio’s casket as it began its journey from the airport. Military personnel in uniforms representing the different services lined the streets and saluted as the hearse passed.

Eugenio’s last homecoming took place on a day made even heavier by an overcast sky. But many perhaps will take comfort in that as he traveled his hometown’s streets for one last time, his loved ones were gathered, and countless others were on hand to honor his sacrifice.

A funeral mass for Sgt. Carlo Francisco Eugenio will be held at 10 a.m. Monday, Nov. 14, 2011, at St. Paul Parish, 9135 Banyan St., Rancho Cucamonga. Graveside service will be at 12:30 p.m. at Riverside National Cemetery, 22495 Van Buren Blvd., Riverside.