The names of two Camp Pendleton-based Marines who were killed earlier this week in an accident in New Mexico were released Thursday.
Both were Californians. Lance Cpl. Albert A. Aguilera, 22, of Riverside, and Lance Cpl. Marcelino M. Gamino, 28, of Fresno, died Tuesday following a solo vehicle crash near Santa Teresa near the U.S.-Mexico border.
The combat engineers with 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st Marine Division, were in the area supporting southern border operations. The crash occurred during a “convoy movement,” according to a U.S. Marine spokesperson.
This is Lance Cpl. Marcelino M. Gamino, 28, and Lance Cpl. Albert A. Aguilera, 22. They are the Marines killed in a vehicle crash near the southern U.S. border in New Mexico this week.
— Dan Lamothe (@DanLamothe) April 17, 2025
A third Marine is in critical condition.
RIP. pic.twitter.com/LPmdJQ9Id7
Aguilera and Gamino were pronounced dead at a hospital in El Paso, Texas. A third Marine from from the battalion remains hospitalized in critical condition.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
“The loss of Lance Cpl. Aguilera and Lance Cpl. Gamino is deeply felt by all of us,” said U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Col. Tyrone A. Barrion, commanding officer for 1st Combat Engineer Battalion and Task Force Sapper. “I extend my heartfelt condolences and prayers to the families of our fallen brothers. Our top priority right now is to ensure that their families, and the Marines affected by their passing, are fully supported during this difficult time.”
