Marine returns home to area as a hero
Brett Shipp
12/13/2001

Sgt. Thomas Larez is happy to be back with his family after seeing action in Afghanistan. Just hours before reporting to active duty, the fearless and rugged Marine Sgt. Thomas Larez surrendered to the new love of his life.

Little Trinity Larez was delivered a bit early into the world, so her father could hold her prior to shipping out to Afghanistan, on an assignment he knew little about.

"I guess she is a new reason to make sure I come back," Sgt. Larez said at the time. "That's what I'm looking forward to, is to hurry up and come back."

Four days later, Larez found himself on the front lines in a war with the Taliban. As a squad leader, he was in charge of escorting Special Operations troops back in from the field.

Two weeks ago, his squad came under fire. Soldiers were wounded. According to an advisory from his commanding officer, Sergeant Larez "was one such casualty."

His injuries, the advisory says, "were sustained while saving a friendly soldier", an Army Ranger. Larez took "two shots to the upper torso" and "fragmentations to the upper thigh." He was temporarily blinded following the detonation of a "nearby concussion grenade."

The advisory goes on to say the Sergeant made "7 additional kills...." and was "instrumental in the capture of several prisoners."

It would be 36 more hours before his wife Pauline would get word of his fate. Minutes after that, his boss at work got the call.

"It shocked me, seriously," said Doug Baum of Bankston Chrysler in Frisco, Larez's employer. "I was really scared for him because his wife called me and she was just crying. She said Thomas was shot three times."

The entire staff at Bankston prayed for Larez, never thinking seriously that when he left, he might not return to fill the corner desk office left vacant for him.

The desk he sits in right now.

Despite all the trauma and close calls, Marine Sergeant, faithful employee and father Thomas Larez is back at work, already trying to live down his hero status.

Sgt. Larez (left) with his wife and baby daughter Trinity. "I ran out there and was trying to pull (the injured soldier) into a defense perimeter we set up for him," Larez said. "That's what I was trying to do when I got hit."

Larez says not only his life flashed before his eyes, but his daughter and wife. He says having his daughter back in his arms is an experience worth fighting for.

"I think she recognizes me and sleeps on my chest and stuff," he said. "She looks at daddy kinda funny, recognizing my voice and everything."

Trinity Larez may now also recognize her daddy's smile, which is hard to forget.

12/15/2001

Channel Eight News regrets to report that we must issue a retraction on what many considered a very touching and inspirational story we aired Wednesday night.

It was the story of Marine Sergeant Thomas Larez of Dallas who left behind his wife and newborn child to go serve his country, we were told in Afghanistan.

We quoted from what appeared to be a Marine advisory that the sergeant was injured trying to rescue a fellow soldier and that he heroically killed and helped capture enemy soldiers. Finally we reported of his return to work and to his family.

We have now learned from his Marine commander that the story and document was contrived.

Larez, in fact, never left the country and his whereabouts for nearly two months were unknown.

Larez has been dismissed from his job for misleading his employer and his Marine commander says he faces possible disciplinary actions.

When contacted for a comment on this story, Larez declined to apologize and would say only that he couldn't believe that it went this far.

Distributed through the P.O.W. NETWORK in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107.

Hanoi Jane Fonda