Fresno Marine killed was Clovis East grad: How community is working to heal hometown heartbreak

CLOVIS, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – According to Kelly Avants, Director of Communications for the Clovis Unified School District, 28-year-old Marine Lance Cpl. Marcelino Gamino of Fresno was a graduate of Clovis East High School in 2015.

The young soldier was one of two Marines killed and one injured in a convoy crash in New Mexico on Tuesday, while on a deployment to the southern border. The other Marine killed was identified as Lance Cpl. Albert Aguilera of Riverside.

Both men were combat engineers with the First Marine Division.

Friday, YourCentralValley.com contacted Gamino’s grandfather. However, the moment we asked about his grandson, the man understandably broke down, too upset to say anything yet.

“A loss for them is a loss for all of us, and we should all be mourning their loss. It’s a shared loss. And it breaks my heart to think that these young marines paid the ultimate price in keeping us free,” said Lorenzo Rios, CEO of the Clovis Veterans Memorial District.

Rios says they haven’t heard from the young family of the young Marine yet, but says they’re ready to step in and help in any way they can, whenever they do.

“Here’s my message to the family if they’re listening, our doors are open and we will do everything we can to make sure that they are served,” he said.

Part of that service includes connecting the family to any available resource they might need. Rios says they also provide a celebration of life and any gathering, all for free.

Those, he says, are offered to every family in the region that experiences a military loss.

“We won’t mince words. They lost them. We lost them. We want to share that burden with them, and we’ll be there for them,” Rios explained. “Whatever we can do, we’ll be there to support them.”

It’s just part of the regional appreciation and pride seen at the Clovis Veterans Memorial District, where they wear red every Friday to represent a very sacred and timely acronym.

“Remember everyone deployed.”

It’s just part of what they do to work to show support and tell the stories of those who served and sacrificed, from exhibits to the Garden of Honor. A place where the flag always blows to represent a last breath of devotion, and where the water always flows as a symbol for the tears of a grateful nation.

For the latest on funeral services for Lance Cpl. Gamino, stay with YourCentralValley.com.