Soldier Honored: Jude C. Mariano

Air Force Master Sergeant Jude C. Mariano, a computer specialist, was assigned to the 615^th Air Mobility Operations Squadron at Travis Air Force Base in California. In Mariano’s family, joining the Air Force was a family tradition. About 35 of his relatives have served in the military, including two brothers and his father, in every United States conflict since World War II.

Mariano deployed on January 5^th and later died on February 10, 2004, from injuries he had sustained in a motor vehicle accident in Doha, Qatar. His brother, Navy Warrant Officer Gilbert Mariano, accompanied his body home from Qatar to Northern California. Mariano was 39 years old.

Air Force Master Sergeant Jude C. Mariano was born in Long Beach and moved shortly after to Vallejo where he attended high school. After graduating high school in 1983, he enlisted in the Air Force. He is remembered as being a “likeable guy” and “proud of what he was doing.” Master Sergeant Mariano is survived by his wife and three children.