Sergeant Pablo Andr‚s Calder¢n was recently killed in Iraq, when a roadside insurgent makeshift bomb exploded near the ruined Sunni City of Fallujah.  Calderon, a lifelong resident of Crown Heights, Brooklyn enlisted into the U.S. Army in 1997, upon graduating from George Westinghouse Vocational High School. He was stationed in Fort Bennings, Georgia, then Korea, followed by Kuwait and last year was dispatched to the front line in Iraq.

According to his sister, Lilliana Calder¢n, “Pablo was a friendly, quiet, good humored, home-based person. He enjoyed music and spent much time disk jockeying under the name of DJ Wolf. He also liked designing; drawing and illustrating customized CD covers. He aspired to become an engineer. In his Thanksgiving e-mail message, he stated, I’m doing all right, had a few close calls, but I’m surviving.. Tell everybody I said hello.. I love the family, .Peace”.
Ms Calderon further stated that “He grew up with his Panamanians immigrant parents in Crown Heights.  His last tour of duty was schedule to be completed in January 2005 and he looked forward to returning home.  My brother is a brave hero; he gave his life for his country.”
Sargeant Calderon’s cousin, Dr. Marco A. Mason, Brooklyn Community activist and CEO of the Caribbean Women’s Health Association, wrote a letter to President George W. Bush, in which he said in part, “The body bags from Iraq are pouring into neighborhoods throughout the country and devastating many families. The United States occupation is breeding insurrection and Jihads. Clearly, this is a no-win war reminiscent of Vietnam. We must stop the bloodshed now. The challenge for peace and to ensure democracy is not an election there in January, but how to create a fair and just political solution between the Shiite, the Kurds and the Sunnis”, Dr. Mason also stated “I am appealing to the public to urge the President to get out of Iraq and to prioritize the War on Terrorism in order to protect Americans.”