By Crystal Bozek
Staff Writer
July 11, 2008 01:03 am LAWRENCE — Andy Jimenez began crying as he looked over the crowd of people who showed up in his backyard last night. Many of them had only met his son Alex briefly — some not at all. "I had hoped they would all get to meet him," Jimenez said, wiping his eyes with a crumpled tissue as three friends rushed to comfort him. "I hoped they would get to know him like I did. ... God knows." This was how it went last night at Jimenez's Albion Street home as the community dealt with the news that his 26-year-old son's body had been found nearly 14 months after being captured by al-Qaida. The grieving father sat amid a long row of folding chairs — a makeshift receiving line — embracing his neighbors and others who have become like an extended family in the past year. Hector Guerra of Lawrence said being there was the least he could do for Jimenez. "He needs a lot of support because this is a hard blow," Guerra said. "When I found out, my heart just sunk because I'm a father too." Early in the night, James Wareing, of Methuen, climbed up a ladder as a crowd formed to watch, taking down a sun-worn black Prisoner of War/Missing in Action flag that hung over the home's front window. He replaced it with a American Flag decorated with black and purple ribbons to signify mourning. "I don't think it's real for him yet," Wareing said. "It's weird ... for all of us. We've been waiting for a long time. We've had good news, we've had hope. There'd been so much hope." The backyard went between moments of buzzing and some laughter to somber silence, as people sat in thought, trying to absorb the finality of the latest news. Cell phones never stopped ringing as people continued to hear the news and news trucks lined the small street. A tall stack of pizza and doughnut boxes and cartons of coffee sat on a table outside, a sign that the entire neighborhood was in for a long night. Streams of people were still showing up after 10 p.m. Benny Espaillat said he could still remember Alex walking into his store, Zapatos Aqui in Methuen, dressed his uniform on one of his visits home. Andy Jimenez worked at the store for a time. "His father was very proud. He had this big smile," Espaillat said. "He walks in and everyone was kind of excited about it. He was a dream come true. "The news is ... I don't know. All parents are ready for the worst but hoping for the best." Sandy Almonte said it became difficult for all of them in the last few months. "A lot of us chose not to go to events toward the end. The motorcycle rides, the ceremonies," Almonte said. "It got so hard. It takes so much out of you. ... It gets you hoping all over again." Many of the friends, while there to give support, admitted that they had no idea how Jimenez could be feeling. "This is terribly sad, especially when it is a fellow countryman," said Rolando Rodriguez, of Lawrence. "You have to be in the person's shoes to understand." State Rep. William Lantigua, D-Lawrence, stopped by late to give his condolences. As soon as he walked up to Jimenez, both men keeled over crying and walked away for a private conversation. "You always keep the hope that he would be found alive or rescued," Lantigua said afterward. "We've all become like a family around here. We're nothing but human. After you deal with someone for so long, such a good person, you feel their pain."
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