Marine Cpl. Claudio Patino IV

Remember Our Heroes

Marine Cpl. Claudio Patino IV, 22, of Yorba Linda, Calif.

Cpl. Patino was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, based at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, Calif.; died June 22, 2010 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. Also killed was Cpl. Kevin A. Cueto.

YORBA LINDA – Marine Cpl. Claudio Patiño IV, a 22-year-old from Yorba Linda, was killed in action in Afghanistan earlier this week, his family said Thursday.
Patiño, who graduated from El Dorado High School in 2006, was on his second deployment to Afghanistan.

"He was a Marine to the core," said Patiño's brother, Marlon Chinchilla. "He died the way he wanted to die. He died a warrior, and he really believed in fighting for his country."

Patiño was married; he did not have children.

A memorial, originally planned for Sunday, is now scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday in El Dorado High School's gym, at 1651 Valencia Ave., El Dorado Assistant Principal John Bellows said. The Patino family is coordinating a "celebration of his life'' memorial at his alma mater, El Dorado High School in Placentia, according to Assistant Principal John Bellows. Patino and his wife both graduated from the high school.

"He was a good guy who went into the military right after high school,'' Bellows said. "He was a good kid, well liked by a lot of kids.''

Anyone wishing to pay their respects is welcome to attend, Chinchilla said.

The family plans to set up a charity in Patiño's name to send care packages to members of the military in Afghanistan. The family is asking that in lieu of flowers or cards, mourners wait and donate to the charity.

The Department of Defense has not yet released any information on Patiño. His family is waiting for information on when his casket will return.

Patiño was the third Marine from Yorba Linda killed in Afghanistan this year. Sgt. Major Robert Cottle and Lance Cpl. Rick Centanni were killed in Helmand Province by an improvised explosive device on March 24.

YORBA LINDA – Flags will fly at half-staff in Yorba Linda through next week in honor of Marine Cpl. Claudio Patiño IV, who was killed in action Tuesday in Afghanistan.

Patiño, who signed up for the Marines shortly after graduating from El Dorado High School in 2006, was on his third overseas deployment.

"He was a Marine to the core," said Patiño's brother, Marlon Chinchilla. "He died the way he wanted to die. He died a warrior, and he really believed in fighting for his country."

The 22-year-old was deployed to Iraq in 2008; in 2009, he received a combat-action medal during a tour in Afghanistan.

Patino was also a decorated fighter. His awards include: the Purple Heart, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, Navy Unit Commendation, Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon and the NATO Medal.

His battalion, based at Twentynine Palms, was deployed to Afghanistan in the end of March to assist with general combat operations, train and equip Afghan security forces, and suppress the Taliban, Marine spokesman Lt. Kenneth Kunze said.

YORBA LINDA – Marine Cpl. Claudio Patiño IV had been home from Afghanistan for only few weeks when he started talking about going back.

The 22-year-old scout sniper returned from deployment in December 2009, and soon paid a visit to the mother of a fallen Anaheim Marine, Lance Cpl. Justin Swanson. He told her he wanted to go back to avenge her son.

The Yorba Linda native requested a special transfer so that he could redeploy. He left for Afghanistan on March 31 and was killed by small-arms fire during combat in Helmand Province on Tuesday.

"These guys get so close, it's like no other bond you've ever seen," Swanson's mother, Mary Hargrove said.

He was the third Marine from Yorba Linda killed in Afghanistan this year.

Members of Patiño's large, close-knit, family said Friday they were coping with his loss through the knowledge that he died doing what he treasured.

"There is no greater honor than to die the way he did," brother Andrew Parada said. "That's the way a true warrior thinks when they go into battle, that they might not come back."

Patiño, the U.S.-born son of a Mexican immigrant father from Guadalajara, came from family with a strong tradition of military service in Mexico. He started talking about becoming a Marine soon after he learned how to walk.

"He would walk around with a toy gun screaming, 'I am a Marine,' in Spanish," Parada, said.

As kids, Patiño and Parada would sneak out the house at night, playing in nearby Hurless Barton Park, pretending that they were ancient warriors in the woods, coyotes their terrible foe.

He was a tough kid. He started a fight club as a teenager, meeting with friends in the park after his mother banned fighting in the house. He was the kind of guy who always won at a fight, but would stick around to help the other guy up. Because of that, his foes often became his friends.

Patiño was athletic. He loved to be outdoors, running in Carbon Canyon or camping in Yosemite. He was popular in high school and did well on the wrestling team, but his grades were mediocre at best, family said. Still, when he set his mind to something nothing could stand in his way.

He achieved his dream of joining the Marines soon after graduating from El Dorado High School in 2006.

"He was committed to his job," Parada said. "He wanted to be the best warrior out there."

On one Patiño's biceps was tattooed a Mexican eagle in honor of his father's military service. On the other arm was an American eagle, inspired by an old USMC insignia.

On his chest he had a pair brass knuckles tattooed near his heart, a tough-love symbol in honor of his mother, the only person whose opinion he really worried about, family members said.

This week, Patiño's brothers and sisters plan to get memorial tattoos, honoring the different sides of their fallen brother. Parada had an image of Patiño holding an M-16 rifle tattooed on his arm. Sister Evelyn Patiño plans to get a tattoo with his nickname, "Nene" along with one of his favorite cartoon characters.

The tough kid, who became an even tougher Marine, had a sensitive heart, his siblings said.

He couldn't pass beggars on the street without stopping to try and buy them food. He rescued birds with broken wings, Evelyn said

When Patiño he came home from deployment, he would tell his family about fellow Marines who never received care packages. The family plans to set up a charity in Patiño's name to send care packages to Marines in Afghanistan. The family is asking that in lieu of flowers or cards, mourners wait and donate to the charity.

Marine Cpl. Claudio Patino IV was killed in action on 6/22/10.