SHAME, REGRET SURROUND ACCUSED MCALLEN SOLDIER

McHi Graduate Faces Court-Martial For Allegedly Trafficking Cocaine Into U.S.

McALLEN - Jesus Rosas struggled to gather his thoughts, unable to describe
the emotional rollercoaster he's been on the past few months. But even
words would do no justice to the anguish clear in his tired eyes.

He would rather not talk about the sleepless nights, the emptiness in his
heart or coming to terms with the fact that his youngest of four children,
U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Daniel Rosas, stands accused of leading a drug
smuggling ring in Bogota, Colombia, and is now behind bars at Fort Bliss in
El Paso awaiting court-martial in November. The accusation has deeply
embarrassed U.S. officials and is raising concern from Colombians who said
their president should revoke treaties granting immunities to soldiers
serving in their country.

"I don't know what went wrong," the elder Rosas said in Spanish, outside of
the modest, older brick home where his family has lived for more than 30
years in South McAllen. "He's a good person, he's always been. I don't know
who got him wrapped up in all of that."

Daniel Rosas, 23, stands accused of conspiracy to distribute more than 100
pounds of cocaine on eight different occasions and of trafficking more than
180 pounds of cocaine from Colombia into U.S. territory aboard a military
plane during half a dozen trips.

His case has forced stricter out-processing of soldiers returning to the
states from Colombia and has spurred a string of court-martials.

Staff Sgt. Victor J. Portales and Staff Sgt. Kelvin G. Irizarry-Melendez
are accused of having a role in the international drug operation. Spec.
Francisco Rosa, the first of four to face a general court-martial in
August, pleaded guilty to his role and was sentenced to five years in a
military prison.

Melendez followed and on Sept. 15 pleaded guilty for his role, according to
The Associated Press. A military judge sentenced the 26-year-old to six
years in a military prison, reduced his rank to private and ordered a
dishonorable discharge.

Daniel Rosas and the three soldiers were members of the 204th Military
Intelligence Battalion stationed at Fort Bliss, on special deployment to
Apiay Air Base, just east of the capital city of Bogota.

In a sworn statement the AP obtained, the soldier admitted he played a
central role in organizing the entire operation.

"Greed overtook my state of mind," he said in the deposition. "I saw the
opportunity and took advantage of it."

A military spokeswoman at Fort Bliss said Daniel Rosas faces the most
severe charges and stiffest punishment, though she would not specify or
elaborate. He could end up at the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks in Fort
Leavenworth, Kan., if he is sentenced to more than five years in prison.
Despite the national headlines and severity of the case, Jesus Rosas, 55,
can only think about a time when his little boy wanted nothing more than to
become a pilot. Now, the 2000 McAllen High School graduate struggles to
explain to his parents what his future might hold, even as they sit across
from him in a cold prison visiting room at Fort Bliss.

"He doesn't tell us much, because we know he's ashamed of what he did,"
Jesus Rosas said.

More and more, the reality of the consequences his son faces sinks in the
more Jesus Rosas talks about the case - a case he and his wife, Eledina,
admit they know very little about.

"Until we were told, we just never knew about what had happened. But this
is not something he would do on his own," his father said, as his eyes
welled up with tears. "The way I see it, someone told him about an easy way
to make money, pero lo que mal empieza, mal acaba (but what starts badly
ends badly)."

According to a military charge sheet, the soldier transported more than
$200,000 in cash from Fort Bliss back to Apiay Air Base, where he was
temporarily stationed, all part of the drug ring which stretched to cities
throughout Texas and Louisiana. In order to carry out the operation, Rosas
fronted his own money to buy the cocaine. His mother, Eledina Rosas, 55,
acts as a pillar of strength as the family copes with its anguish. She said
her family is devastated but not destroyed.

"We all make mistakes, and I'm grateful he's not doing wrong anymore," she
said in Spanish of her son's ordeal. "It's hard to deal with, but God will
help us through this."

"I don't know why he strayed from the path of the Lord," she said. "Now, I
pray that God pull him out of this and push him forward. My son never gave
us problems; he knew what he wanted to do with his life."

Growing up in South McAllen, just a few blocks from Business 83, Eledina
Rosas says her son dedicated himself to his school work and a part-time
job. None of the family's four children were disobedient, abused alcohol,
smoked or had any vices, she said. They were all were raised in a strict
Baptist home where Sunday worship was top priority. Mexican nationals who
later became U.S. citizens, Jesus and Eledina Rosas worked hard to raise
their family right.

The July after Daniel Rosas graduated from McHi, he was already in boot
campat Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. And "Danny" adapted to military life pretty
quickly. In his five years, he moved up the ranks with ease.

"Once he left, he liked it in the Army, and by what we saw, he was a good
soldier and in charge of several other soldiers," Eledina said proudly. "We
didn't want him to go because we knew it was dangerous, but that's what he
wanted."

Her husband agrees, and says he too was reluctant to let his chamaco enlist
in the armed forces.

"I know he just wanted to make us proud," he said. "Watching him drive away
hurt so much. It was like losing someone you love for what seems like
forever. But now, everything is in God's hands, y que Dios lo ayude (may
God help him)."

Since Daniel Rosas' arrest on March 28, the Rosas family has depended on an
older model Ford pick-up to make the 1,600-mile roundtrip on the barren
Texas road to see their son in brief visitation periods at Fort Bliss. As
much as they would like to visit with their son, finances and work
commitments don't permit them to do so.

His court-martial begins sometime in November in a Fort Bliss Federal Court.

"He writes to us every week, and my wife talks to him more," Jesus Rosas
said. "I think he's afraid of what we are going to tell him, but I'm not
going to lecture him; he's a man now. I just hate seeing him that way."

Jesus Rosas admits he is afraid the Colombian government will push for his
son's extradition to Colombia.

But according to the AP, U.S. Ambassador William Wood said extradition is
not an option because of an agreement between the two countries. Wood said
the men were on a special U.S. mission and therefore qualify for diplomatic
immunity in the South American country.

Daniel Rosas was part of a U.S. operation that has already deployed more
than 1,000 soldiers and civilian contractors to Colombia, the AP reported,
to combat a 40-year-old Marxist insurgency and explosive cocaine trade -
one of the country's major sources of revenue.

"My son is alone, and he's going to sit in a jail cell for years and think
about the mistake he made," Jesus Rosas said. "I know he regrets what he
did. We don't blame him for what he's done, but now he's going to face the
consequences."