Mother of Army sergeant slain in Afghanistan laments his death: ‘We made so many little plans’

REVERE – For a few minutes last Friday, Diana Ramirez listened as her son, Nelson, told her about patrolling roads half a world away from her Chelsea apartment for 10 or 12 hours at a time. Before he hung up he said, “Finally, mom, I have tomorrow off.”Nelson Rodriguez Ramirez and three other soldiers were killed June 21 in Afghanistan when a homemade bomb destroyed the vehicle they were riding in and triggered an ambush on other vehicles in their convoy.His body will be flown from Dover Air Force Base, where the military’s mortuary is located, to Logan Airport by noon Friday according to Capt. Sean Keegan, Army casualty assistance officer.Ramirez will be waked from 4-8 p.m. Friday at Vazza Funeral Home on Beach Street. His funeral will be from Immaculate Conception Church in Revere Saturday at noon followed by burial in Woodlawn Cemetery in Everett.Ramirez was scheduled to return home on leave in August and leave the Army early next year. Mother and son spoke often about the 22-year-old’s future and her love of being a grandmother to his daughters, Kiara and Ariana.”He always made me a priority in his life. He would ask, ‘Mom, are you OK? Can I do something for you?’ We were mother and son but also friends,” Ramirez said.Known by the nickname “Bebo” to family and friends, Ramirez loved fast rides at Six Flags and air travel, said his older sister, Iliana.He was born in Puerto Rico and moved with his family to Boston when he was eight and to Revere six years later. He left Revere High in 2001 to earn a general equivalency degree through a Holyoke program and moved to New York where he signed up for the National Guard in 2003.Along with fellow soldiers of 2nd Squadron, 101st Cavalry, he shipped off to Afghanistan in April, tasked with the responsibility of helping to make the war-torn nation safer.”He was excited and kind of scared of the idea of going to another country,” Iliana said.From halfway around the world he rooted for the Yankees, took pride in his Puerto Rican heritage and in his status as a third generation veteran. One of his grandparents served in the military and his aunt, Myrna, worked as a police officer in Puerto Rico after finishing a 20-year Army career.He also wrote and phoned home accounts about his encounters with Afghan children.”They would ask him for a pen and a paper so they could learn to write,” Iliana said.His father, Nelson Rodriguez, said his care and concern for Afghan kids reflected the love he felt for his daughters.”He was the best father,” Rodriguez said.Diana Ramirez is bracing for the days ahead of her and for the days that will follow those.”I’m going to fill my heart with a lot of memories.”