Angel and Elise Rosa talked a lot about the future.
They would stay up late and imagine the house they would buy someday, the kids they would raise. In some ways they were still kids themselves, just out of high school, living in the basement of a friend's house. That seems long ago now, before they got married and Angel left to fight in the Iraq war.
''He joined the Marines because that was going to be his way to take care of his family,'' Elise Rosa said Thursday. ''He did it for both of us.''
Pfc. Angel Rosa, 21, was killed in action Tuesday. He was a 2004 graduate of South Portland High School, a standout soccer player and a community volunteer.
Rosa died while conducting combat operations in the Anbar province of Iraq, according to officials at Camp Lejeune, N.C. Rosa was trained as a rifleman and stationed there before deploying to Iraq in late January.
Of the roughly 3,200 U.S. troops killed since the Iraq war started in 2003, 24 are Maine natives or have ties to the state.
Details about Rosa's death have not been released by the Department of Defense.
Rosa last spoke to his wife a few weeks ago. He said his team, part of a forward expeditionary unit, was going on a mission that would take several days. He expected to call her again around March 18.
''He said he would talk to me then,'' said Elise Rosa, 21. ''Even if he could have told me the mission, he wouldn't have, because he never wanted me to be worried.''
On Thursday, news of Angel Rosa's death continued to ripple through South Portland. He is the first resident of the city to be killed in Iraq.
Elise, her father and other relatives grieved at the home of Anna and Robert Bradbury, Rosa's parents. The young Marine also leaves behind a sister, Mimi Giordano, 18, who grew up with him in the two-story home on Broadway.
''When he chose to join the Marines, it was hard for some of us to know that he wouldn't be around as much,'' Elise Rosa said. ''He saw it as a way to make sure that everyone he loved and cared about would never have anything to worry about.''
Surrounded by memorabilia of her husband's life - his high school diploma, Marine recruitment folder and a photo of Angel playing soccer - Elise Rosa spoke to reporters Thursday afternoon.
She wore a T-shirt emblazoned with an image of Angel in his full Marine uniform.
''It breaks our hearts to know he gave his life in order to make things better for others, but that's the way he was,'' she said.
HE 'MADE EVERYONE LAUGH'
Rosa was born in Philadelphia but moved to Puerto Rico soon after his birth. His mother left that country and moved around some before settling in South Portland.
Angel Rosa was just 9 years old and unable to speak English when he came to Maine in 1994 to be reunited with his mother.
He made friends easily, across the boundaries of race, culture and economic background.
''He was really outgoing. He was the guy who always made everybody laugh,'' said Maria Lorello, 20, a friend who remembers when Rosa was the new kid in class. They were part of a large group of friends from the neighborhood who stayed close from grade school through high school graduation.
At South Portland High School, Rosa participated in the homecoming and prom committees, Spanish Club and the Varsity Club.
But he really earned his reputation on the soccer field.
''As a coach, I needed to have somebody on the field that I could always count on,'' said former soccer coach Adam Perron. ''Angel was that person.''
Rosa captained the team as a senior, and earned an honorable mention for the all-conference team.
Perron recalled him as a player who not only led by example, but also could motivate others with his words.
''He had a lot of pride, and that showed in his effort on the field,'' Perron said. ''He had the respect...
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