Hillary Clinton has invited two Tucsonans to be her guests at the final Presidential debate Wednesday night.
Ana Scott, the mother of Damian Lopez-Rodriguez, a soldier killed on April 6, 2007 while serving in the U.S. Army during Operation Iraqi Freedom, and his former high school social studies teacher Gary Crane, were invited by Clinton to be in the audience.
Lopez-Rodriguez, who was brought to the United States as a child by his parents, was awaiting American citizenship at the time he was killed.
He was posthumously granted U.S. citizenship through a 2002 Executive Order signed by President Bush for non-citizens who serve in the military during wartime.
The story of Lopez-Rodriguez came to the attention of the Clinton campaign through a letter written by Crane, a Clinton campaign official confirmed.
Crane, a retired social studies teacher at Tucson's Pueblo High School, said Lopez-Rodriguez was a model student who was eager to serve as a soldier in the Army .
When Lopez-Rodriguez enlisted , "He stopped by the school so everyone could see him in his new uniform," Crane said. "He was as respectful and optimistic as any who ever entered my classroom."
"Hillary Clinton’s guests to the debate include people she has fought for and will keep fighting for as President of the United States. Clinton believes the debate should be about the issues that keep people like them up at night and the solutions each candidate offers," said Lily Adams, a Clinton campaign spokesperson.
