Francisco was the younger of two children born to Leo L. Luna and Emily V. Luna. He was born at Mercy Hospital in Redding, California on August 15, 1943. His parents passed before him on November 23, 1991 and September 11, 1990, respectively. His older sibling, Clara L. Barajas, also passed before him on May 20th of this year. His surviving family members are nieces: Annamaria Snowden, Elisha R. Kaihe and Veronica R. Rodriguez and his nephew Richie M. Barajas. Francisco never married and had no children.
Our lives are very much like a novel filled with many pages of the events and experiences that we have passed through in our lives. Francisco’s first chapter opens on August 15, 1943 at Mercy Hospital in Redding, California. Two of the primary schools he attended were Saint Joseph’s and Holy Angels Elementary Schools in Sacramento, CA. He earned his GED High School Equivalent Diploma while in the United States Army (US Army).
Francisco proudly served with recognition and distinction a total of three enlistments in both the US Army and the United States Marine Corps (USMC). The first and second enlistments were with the US Army from June 1965 to July 1967 and August 1968 to July 1971. The third was with the USMC from July 1971 to February 1975.
Military education and training are very physically and psychologically demanding of an individual. Francisco successfully met and embraced the challenges when completing the following courses. They include: Basic Training, Code of Conduct, Geneva Convention, Basic Airborne Course, Non-commissioned Officer Leadership School, Light Weapons Infantryman, MACV Reconnaissance School (Nha Trang, Vietnam).
Throughout his brief military career, he was recognized for his many contributions to his country. The most difficult one earned was that of the Purple Heart. His numerous awards and decorations include: the Rifle Sharpshooter Badge, the Good Conduct Medal (Second Award), the Parachute Badge, the National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal, the Vietnam Campaign Medal, the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry, the Combat Infantryman’s Badge, the Combat Action Ribbon and the Purple Heart (One Star).
The Purple Heart, he earned when he was shot in the left arm while serving in Vietnam. Many, many, many bullets passed by Francisco, but only one had his initials and not his name. He was a MARINE!
Francisco was a True Patriot who identified mostly with the Marine Corp. He always wore a baseball cap with the words “United States Marine Corp” or “USMC and Combat Wounded” embroidered on it. His motto to the end was, “Semper Fidelis.”
Upon completing twenty years of employment with the State of California in Custodial Services, Francisco medically retired from CalPERS in November 2015.
Numerous friends and family members visited Francisco after he was admitted to Kaiser Permanente Medical Center, South on June 30, 2023.
Francisco was thirty-seven (37) days from his eightieth (80th) birthday when he turned the last page of his final chapter at 7:45 P.M. on July 9, 2023.
