Letter from local soldier killed in Afghanistan brings family peace | News

ROSEVILLE- Two Roseville sisters are sharing a letter they found from their brother, a former soldier, two months after he was killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan.

Rueben "Boy" Lopez, 27, of Roseville was elated to join the U.S. Army. His grandfather was in the military, as is one of his sisters and a few other relatives. Lopez also dreamed of also becoming a CHP officer.

But Lopez' dreams, and more importantly his life, were cut short a year after joining the army.

Lopez' family never saw it coming. They also never expected to find a letter from him in a manila envelope while sorting through his belongings nearly two months after his death. His family says they have found greater comfort because of his written words.

One line in the letter reads:

"We die to live, not live and then die. Life on earth is not the end, but only a journey."

They've read the letter numerous times and have shared it with others on YouTube in "A Soldier's Last Words." They've also dedicated a Facebook page to Lopez.

The Lopez family has also put up a "peace pole". Lopez' mother and sisters have each put up a "peace pole" as well. The poles read "May Peace Prevail On Earth" in four languages.

On Wednesday, another peace pole will be put up at Junction Elementary School in Roseville where Lopez' sister teaches and his niece attends.

By Suzanne Phan, sphan@news10.net

Twitter: @suzannephan