CNMI Military and Veterans Affairs Office Executive Director Ruth Coleman said family members and relatives of U.S. Marine Cpl. Dave Michael Santos will have a chance to see him on Guam for a brief public viewing before he will be brought home to Rota at 3 p.m. on the same day.
At 10 a.m. on Thursday, Coleman said Santos’ body will be brought to the San Francisco de Borja Church on Rota for a public viewing and for presentation of awards.
Coleman said a Mass will be held and the burial will follow.
She will be on Rota for the funeral services to represent the Military and Veterans Affairs Office. She said Lt. Gov. Eloy S. Inos will also be there.
“We will be giving full military honors for Santos,” she said.
Coleman said the investigation into Santos’ death is ongoing.
“The results of the investigation will be directly forwarded to the family of Santos, and not through the Military and Veterans Affairs Office because of privacy issues,” Coleman said.
“We really hope that it will be resolved soon. We are proud of Santos, and we are here for his family and loved ones. He is a hero and we are grateful for his services to the nation,” she added.
Santos, the son of Rota resident David Mundo Santos and Charito Maliksi-Runge, was on his second deployment to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom to Afghanistan last month. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 6th Marines, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C. and died while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
Corporal Santos left behind a wife and a three-year-old son.
