3 Aurora Marines Killed In Iraq Will Be Honored With Dedicated Streets Sunday

AURORA, IL — Three marines from Aurora who were killed in Iraq will have the streets of their childhood homes recognized by the village with honorary dedications Sunday. Three separate ceremonies for the men, killed between 2005 and 2007, will be held throughout the day as part of the village's "Aurora Avanzando" Hispanic Heritage Month.

Lance Corporals Hector Ramos, 20; Edwardo Lopez, 21; and Jesse DeLaTorre, 29, served in the U.S. Marine Corps after graduating from East Aurora High School. The men died in action on Jan. 26, 2005; Oct. 19, 2006; and April 16, 2007, respectively.

Ceremonies will be held for each man at their honorary street, starting with one at 2 p.m. for Lopez. A dedication ceremony will take place at 3 p.m. for Ramos, and another will start at 4 p.m. for DeLaTorre. Below are the streets that will be dedicated to the Aurora men.

• Ramos: Intersection of Fifth Avenue and Smith Street in the 700 block of Fifth Avenue.
• Lopez: Intersection of Liberty Street and Schiller Avenue in the 1100 block of Liberty Street.
• DeLaTorre: Intersection of Jackson Street and North Avenue in the 300 block of Jackson Street

"Their legacies will now be further memorialized by dedicating streets of their childhood homes in their honor," a news release said.

Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin, who is a U.S. Army veteran, along with the three Gold Star families, will unveil the streets.

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