Pride of a nation

Lance Cpl. Alejandro Yazzie, 23, loved spending time with his grandmother, Minnie. He enjoyed her traditional Navajo cooking as he grew up, and spent time telling stories around the table with his brothers and sister. A Navajo Nation press release also says he took a particular guiding interest in those younger than him, advising them to work hard stay in school.

Lance Cpl. Yazzie, of Rock Point, Arizona, was killed in Afghanistan on February 16 by a Taliban sniper's bullet. In a stunning NPR broadcast that is difficult to listen to, the chaotic moments that led to Yazzie's death are vividly reported by correspondent Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson, who accompanied Marines from India Company of the 3rd Battalion, 6th Regiment on patrol. While the entire report is compelling, the tragic incident involving Yazzie is at the four-minute mark.



Yazzie had planned to use the NPR correspondent's phone to call his wife, Kalandra Rae Lonehorse-Yazzie, later that evening. Instead of speaking to her husband, the widow is watching flags in her Navajo community being lowered in his honor. She is also anxiously awaiting an unfortunate paperwork issue, reported by the Associated Press, to be resolved by the military so relatives can bring his flag-draped casket home from Delaware.

In addition to his wife, Lance Cpl. Alejandro Yazzie is survived by his mother, father, three brothers, and a sister. Not to be forgotten is the brave Marine's grandmother, who would probably give anything for one last chance to cook her beloved Alejandro his favorite meal.