City honors two fallen heroes

Proud family members again shed tears for fallen sons this past Father’s Day weekend at street re-naming ceremonies for Pfc. Hernando Rios of Woodside, held on Saturday, June 17, and Army Spc. Marlon Bustamante of Corona, held Sunday, June 18.
Both soldiers, killed while on active duty in Iraq, were honored as heroes by the City of New York in their home communities during ceremonies made possible by Councilmembers Eric Gioia and Hiram Monserrate.
Rios, 29, worked as a maintenance supervisor at the World Trade Center. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry Regiment, 256th Brigade Combat Team, and New York Army National Guard and was deployed to Iraq in April of 2005.
Rios was killed on August 7, 2005 after Iraqi insurgents attacked his Humvee. He is survived by his wife Lillian and their three daughters Marlene, Alyssa, and Gabriella. The southwest corner of 49th Street and Queens Boulevard in Woodside was named in honor of Rios and his heroic efforts fighting for his country.
“49th Street contains many warm memories and thoughts of Hernando, who grew up and lived on this street,” said the Rios family. “The family of Pfc. Hernando Rios would like to thank Councilman Gioia for his efforts to make possible the renaming of 49th Street in Woodside, Queens.”
Bustamante, 25, was born in Colombia, grew up in Corona and graduated from Flushing High School. He joined the U.S. Army in 2003 in hopes of eventually becoming a New York City Police Officer.
Bustamante was a victim of a roadside bomb that exploded near his Humvee on a road in Baghdad during his second tour of duty. He was a member of the 101st Airborne Division’s 502nd Infantry regiment based in Fort Campbell, Kentucky. His widow, Danielle, a former Army nurse, and their three children, twin 2-year-old boys Gabriel and Xavier, and a 5-month-old daughter Analyse flew up from their home in Kentucky to be present at the ceremony, held on Fathers Day, to rename the corner of 47th Avenue and 104th Street in Corona, “Marlon A. Bustamante Place.”
A large mural of Bustamante containing the Biblical phrase from Philippians 1:21, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain,” was painted on the side of a nearby building.
“I am very thankful to God for giving me the strength and the comprehension to accept the death of my son,” added Gladys Ciro, Bustamante’s mother and long-time resident of Corona. “I give thanks to God for giving me the wisdom to understand that my son is a hero and that I am very proud of being his mother.”