Fallen Soldier: Elisio Felix, Jr.

Lance Corporal Elisio Felix, Jr., 19, was killed on February 2, 1991, by friendly fire when his unit was in a convoy at night, moving towards the Kuwait/Saudi Arabian border in southern Iraq after completing a raid on an enemy concentration.

LCpl Félix was raised in Avondale, Arizona. Everyone knew him as “Cheyito”. As a teenager, he was active in the church youth group. He also worked at a grocery store to save money to restore his first car.

LCpl Félix graduated from Agua Fria High School in the summer of 1989 and immediately enlisted in the Marines. His mother was upset but, since she was a single mother, Eliseo insisted that this was a great opportunity because they could pay for his education under the GI Bill.

Before being deployed to Saudi Arabia for Operation Desert Storm in August 1990, Elisio proposed to the love of his life, Monica. The young couple planned to marry upon his return.

In an official school dedication ceremony on November 8, 2005, Pioneer Elementary School in Avondale was renamed Eliseo C. Félix School.