The Short Life of José Antonio Gutierrez

A look behind the heroic story of a Guatamalan immigrant who became the first U.S. soldier to die in the American-led war in Iraq.

Traces the life and death of José Antonio Gutierrez (1974?1980?-2003), the U.S. military's first fatality in the Iraq War: born in Guatemala, orphaned at nine, living on the streets and in an orphanage in Escuintla, reunited with his sister as a teen, traveling without papers to the U.S. in 1998, and enlisting as a 'green card soldier.' His sister, social workers, the orphanage director, a foster mother, and fellow Marines describe him. He died from friendly fire, March 21, 2003. The film uses contemporary footage to present his childhood and his arduous journey to the U.S. His enlistment in exchange for a green card and the promise of citizenship is, says the film, a common story.