Family and friends gathered Tuesday to lay Sgt. Enrique Mondragon to rest.
The 23-year-old The Colony resident was killed in action on Christmas Eve during his second tour of duty in Afghanistan.
Mondragon's father, Sergo Martin del Campo, told NBC 5 in Spanish that his son is an American hero and said his service was a source of pride. Thanks to the young man's strong faith, the family is sure he is serving a new mission in heaven, he said.
Maj. General David Quantock, Army provost marshal general, delivered messages from Mondragon's fellow soldiers.
"Those of us who were close to him know what kind of man he was on a daily basis and knew that he was what right looked like, and his soldiers knew he would scale the tallest mountains to help them if they needed it," he read.
"I guarantee that this young man saved soldiers on the battlefield, and that will continue because his spirit, his dragon spirit, lives in the soldiers that he led," he said.
"He'll be forever missed by this great Army, and you'll always have that Army family with you," he added, addressing the family.
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Mondragon was buried at Dallas Fort-Worth National Cemetery.
He is survived by his wife, Katie, and his 2-year-old daughter, Beverly.
