Uncle says Pfc. Isabella Gonzalez ‘fulfilled the calling Christ had for her’
Hundreds of family members, fellow service members, community leaders and others gathered at a Texas megachurch Saturday for a memorial service honoring fallen U.S. Army Pfc. Isabella Gonzalez.
Dozens of American flags lined the Prestonwood Baptist Church campus in Plano, where Senior Pastor Jack Graham opened the service as attendees, many in red, white and blue, waited outside the sanctuary to honor Gonzalez, a 19-year-old native of nearby Carrollton who was killed in an Iranian strike on a military base in Jordan on July 17.
With Gonzalez’s boots, rifle and helmet adorning the stage, the roughly one-hour memorial service repeatedly highlighted Gonzalez’s Christian faith alongside her military service. Pastor Keith Craft of Elevate Life Church offered an opening prayer, thanking God for her life and courage.
“Isabella was a warrior for you, God. And today we honor that example,” said Craft. “May her life remind all of us that true strength is found in walking with you and living for something greater than ourselves.”
Alfredo Munoz, Gonzalez’s uncle, spoke on behalf of the family and described her as “a fierce protector, a devoted servant of the Lord.” He said she “fulfilled the calling Christ had for her. We know that every experience that she had was preparing her for July 17th.”
He added, “Private First Class Isabella Gonzalez stood where others hesitated. She answered a call few have the courage to hear and bore the heavy mantle of our nation’s freedom with unwavering honor into her final breath.”
U.S. Rep. Brandon Gill, a Republican lawmaker who represents Texas’ 26th Congressional District, drew from Scripture to compare Gonzalez’s sacrifice to God’s calling on the life of the prophet Isaiah.
“In the book of Isaiah, the Lord asks, ‘Whom shall I send and who will go for us?’ And the prophet answers simply, ‘Here am I. Send me,’” he said. “She went the way Isaiah went, not because she was certain of what awaited her, but because she was certain of what was asked of her.”
Referencing the Gospel of John, Gill continued: “Isabella laid hers down for friends she would never meet in a town she would never see again so that we could gather safely tonight in this church under this roof and in this country.”
Gonzalez, a 2025 Hebron High School graduate, enlisted at 17, trained, served in Germany and deployed to Jordan with the 1st Battalion, 57th Air Defense Artillery Regiment. She was supporting operations against the Islamic State when she and others were killed.
Military leaders, including Brig. Gen. Glenn Henke of the 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command, recounted her quick adaptation, humor and role as “the glue” of her team in Jordan, where she helped operate a new counter-drone system. Local officials, including Carrollton’s mayor, pledged ongoing support for her mother, Terry, her sister, Maria, her fiancé, and extended family.
Prestonwood Senior Pastor Jack Graham shared a message from President Donald Trump, who had attended Gonzalez’s dignified transfer and met with her family:
“Isabella was a selfless leader, a brave patriot, and a true American hero. But more, she was a beloved daughter, sister, fiancée, granddaughter, and devoted friend. … Our nation will never forget the brief and beautiful life of Private First Class Isabella Gonzalez of the United States Army or her ultimate sacrifice and service to our nation. May God rest her soul and may he hold her in his loving arms forever.”
In his closing Gospel message, Graham emphasized the foundation of her life. “Not because she was a great American soldier, though we honor that service. Not because she gave her life, though the sacrifice is great, but because she first gave her life to Jesus.” He continued: “And because she gave her life to Jesus to follow him as his daughter, as his soldier, the moment she breathes her last breath on this earth, she breathes her first breath in Heaven.”
A private funeral service in honor of Gonzalez was scheduled for Sunday.
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