Eric G. Palacios Rivera
Specialist, U.S. Army

Eric G. Palacios Rivera was born on 1 October 1985, in Atlantic, NJ. He graduated from Atlantic City High School in the class of 2003 and enlisted in the U.S. Army; something he had wanted to do since he was 16. According to his brother, Eric was naturally drawn to the Army because his father and uncles had served in the military in El Salvador. His plan was to serve 20 years in the Army, retire, and then join the Atlantic City Police Department.

Following his Basic and Advanced Individual Training, Rivera was assigned to Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, 2d Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, based in Schweinfurt, Germany. SPC Rivera re-enlisted in the Army in June 2006 and, at the time of his death, was two months into his second tour in Iraq and had been named a patrol leader for his unit. Because his mother, Cayetana Palacios, was so worried, Rivera and his brother had agreed to let their mother keep thinking he was in Germany, so she wouldn't worry about him so much.

On 14 November 2006, Specialist Eric G. Palacios-Rivera was Killed in Action by sniper fire while conducting a patrol in search of a weapons cache in Ramadi, Iraq.

Medals, Awards and Badges

Bronze Star Medal
Purple Heart
Army Good Conduct Medal
National Defense Service Medal with Bronze Star
Iraq Campaign Medal with Bronze Star
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Army Service Ribbon
Army Overseas Service Ribbon with Numeral 2
Combat Infantryman Badge

Burial

Specialist Eric G. Palacios Rivera is buried at the Atlantic County Veterans Cemetery in Estell Manor, NJ.