Carpinteria Soldier Killed in Iraq

Carpinteria resident Javier Rodriguez, 19, was reportedly killed in Iraq by an improvised explosive device while serving in the U.S. Army. The parents of the Carpinteria High School graduate were notified late on 7/30 by an army representative and a Santa Barbara police detective. Mourners held a candlelight vigil for the slain soldier at Carpinteria State Beach later that night. Rodruigez’s former physical education teacher, Art Monarres, described him as “a really god kid” and an athlete who enlisted in the war effort because “he just wanted to help.”