Show of Force Calendar: Fundraiser in tribute of slain soldier
Sgt. Isela Rubalcava was serving as a supply technician in Iraq when enemy mortar rounds were fired at her base on May 8, 2004.
The 1996 Canutillo High School graduate was killed in the attack.
A scholarship fund honoring the slain soldier will receive a financial boost with proceeds from the first Show of Force Calendar, which features 12 brawny service members.
“When I was asked to do (the calendar), it kind of put things in perspective because I myself was injured in Iraq,” Army Master Sgt. Kris Cook said. “I started thinking about it, and I thought if things would have taken a different turn than it did for me, I would hope that somebody would do something like this for me in my memory so that maybe my name and what I stood for as a soldier could be carried on.”
The calendar effort is led by Veronica Johnson, who was with Rubalcava when she died in the attack.
“She was running out to the bunkers and was hit by the shrapnel,” Johnson said.
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Sgt. Ortenzo, 26, said that he stared bodybuilding in his early teens, enjoying the hobby he learned from his father. The calendar features 12 Fort Bliss service members, including one sailor and one Marine, who posed moderately clothed. It debuted Thursday night. (Mark Lambie / El Paso Times)
More photos at the link.