As Steven Acosta was preparing to serve in Iraq, his older brother Gerardo was just returning from the same war.
"I just wish I could see him again, and just be with him like we used to be before," said Gerardo Acosta, a Marine stationed at Camp Pendleton.
Steven Acosta, a 19-year-old supply clerk from Calexico, Calif., died Oct. 26, 2003, from a gunshot wound in a non-hostile incident in Baqubah, Iraq. He was stationed at Fort Hood.
Acosta enlisted in the Army after graduating from high school last year, before his older brother had a chance to talk to him about becoming a Marine. Gerardo Acosta last saw his brother over Christmas when he returned from boot camp.
The second-youngest of five brothers, Steven was sentimental and outgoing. His friends would regularly gather at the Acosta home, bringing their guitars to play punk rock while Steven kept the beat on the drums.
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