Marine Cpl. Xhacob LaTorre, 21, will be laid to rest on Thursday, four months after being gravely wounded in Afghanistan.
LaTorre, who served as a mortar man with 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, was on his third tour of duty when a terrorist bomb exploded on Aug. 10 and he lost his legs. His fellow Marines rushed him to helicopter, so he could be treated for his severe injuries.
LaTorre was transferred to Texas, far from the Waterbury community where he grew up. His brother Danny, a Marine who was serving in Iraq, was sent to be by his brother’s side.
For four long months, Xhacob battled infection and several complications but there was some hope and it looked like he was improving.
Last week Frances, his wife, who had been by his side every moment, got the call from the hospital.
"They said his blood pressure had gone down and they said we think this is going to be it, so I came back and I stayed there the whole night. In the morning, I went to take a shower and I got the call he was going to die any moment. I went running and I was there. And as soon as I got there, he died, " Frances said.
Xhacob's aunt, Carmen LaSalle, says the only thing that makes her nephew’s death easier is that he accomplished all the dreams and goals he wanted in his life.
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The last dream that was fulfilled was his 18-month-old son, Javier. The little boy is giving the family strength right now, especially Xhacob's older brother, Danny, who is also a Marine.
"Seeing his son, it’s like seeing him grow up all over again. So it's like he left a clone, a little mini-me behind. That's pretty cool. It's like a rebirth of him. It's like he never left," Danny said.
"He's always going to know who his father was," Frances said.
Calling hours for LaTorre will be at the Albini Family Funeral Home in Waterbury, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
The funeral will be held on Thursday at 10:30 a.m. He will be buried with full military honors at the State Veterans Cemetery in Middletown.
Besides his wife and son, he leaves his parents, Nicolasa "Nicole" LaSalle, of Waterbury, and Daniel LaTorre Sr., of Hatillo, Puerto Rico, a brother, Cpl. Daniel LaSalle LaTorre of San Diego, a sister, Nicole M. LaTorre, of Waterbury, maternal grandparents, Pablo LaSalle and Ana Morales, two uncles Pablo LaSalle Jr. and Eduardo LaSalle, and four aunts, Carmen LaSalle, Laura LaSalle, Maria LaSalle and Jessica LaSalle.
