He was ‘the best of our country’: Fallen Army paratrooper honored in Southern California procession

On his final journey home, Army Pfc. Matthew Perez was accompanied by his family, friends and Whittier neighbors, many of whom lined the 50-mile route from Ontario International Airport Thursday, Sept. 26, to All Souls Cemetery and Mortuary in Long Beach.

That route came through Whittier, where the fallen 20-year-old paratrooper’s father, Jose, requested one extra stop on the way.

He wanted his oldest child to come home one last time, he told Laura Herzog, founder of the nonprofit Honoring Our Fallen, who has been helping the family since news of Perez’s death during a training accident on Sept. 13.

So after dignified arrival ceremonies planeside, the procession wound its way from Ontario through East San Gabriel Valley cities to Whittier, where Mayor Joe Vinatieri gathered flag-toting residents at the corner of Leffingwell Road and First Avenue to honor the soldier.

More than 50 people waited for about an hour to pay their respects. Flags held aloft, the crowd stood silently as the procession passed.

Cindy Cherone of La Habra said as a mom of five boys, one of whom is a sergeant in the Army, she had to come.

“He looked so young,” she said. “And it hit home. I just want his family to know they’re not alone.”

Vinatieri encouraged attendees at the State of the City breakfast Thursday to spread the word and to line the procession route to show support and respect.

Officers from the Whittier Police Department escorted the cortege as it exited the 57 freeway into the city.

“We so much appreciate the family and (Matthew) for choosing to go into the U.S. Army,” Vinatieri said. “One of our values in Whittier that we cherish is supporting the families of our Armed Forces and our veterans. From generation to generation, we’ve been there to do everything we can to help and support them. That’s what we do. We will do that here.”

Vinatieri and La Habra Mayor Jim Gomez coordinated crowds in their cities, welcoming former Sheriff Alex Villanueva as well as other local leaders, including the city manager and police chief.

“All the sacrifices that happen at peacetime and in training are just as painful and no less than those that happen in combat,” Villanueva, himself a military veteran, said. “He represented the best of our country.”

Perez, a paratrooper assigned to the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, died from injuries sustained during training at the Joint Readiness Training Center in Fort Johnson, La.

Family was everything to Perez, from his parents and three siblings, to the one he had just started with his wife Jessica, and her daughter Sofia, 4, whom he called his “bonus daughter.”

Married in May, the couple recently announced they were expecting their first child. The baby is due late April. Perez is also survived by his parents Jose and Vanessa, brothers Baltazar and Lino and sister Sophia.

The Perez family, in mourning, declined to speak Thursday, referring instead to a tribute they wrote praising their son for who he was and who he wanted to become.

Perez joined the Army in 2023, shortly after graduating from La Habra High School. He volunteered for paratrooper training and completed basic training and Airborne School before being assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division.

The Army has not confirmed if Perez died during a parachute jump and if an injury to another soldier that occurred the same day is related. Army Lt. Col. César Santiago, a spokesman for the 82nd Airborne Division, did not return calls and an email, but in an earlier statement said the investigation continues.

Many among the crowd that saw the cortege off wiped away tears and hugged each other after it passed.

Frank Chavez, a 65-year resident of Whittier, said his hometown knows how to show up as a community.

“I would like to say to Matthew’s parents, thank you for your son,” he said.

Debbie Silva, owner of Orcharda BBQ, wore an American flag shirt to stand in honor of Perez.

“This is the least we can do,” she said. “Even if it’s just a little thing, it shows what we can do together. There’s hope.”

A funeral with full military honors is planned for noon Monday, Sept. 30, at All Souls Cemetery and Mortuary, following a Mass in a Bellflower church.