Almost two years after the death of Staff Sergeant Santiago Frias, a  local hero and army veteran who was seriously wounded during the Iraq war, a street renaming ceremony was held in his honor in the University Heights section of the Bronx last month.

Following his return to the U.S., the young man recovered from his wounds, helped raise a family, and devoted time to local children, teaching them the art of self defense. He was one semester shy of a degree in social work.

Family and friends of Frias gathered at West 183rd Street and Grand Avenue, as a new street sign was unveiled in his honor on Friday, Aug. 28, 2020.

Councilman Fernando Cabrera sponsored the bill to rename West 183rd Street as “Staff Sergeant Santiago Frias Way.” Speaking at the unveiling ceremony, he said, “Today we’re here to honor a great man, a hero that put his life on the line to save his fellow soldiers in the middle of a battle.”

Cabrera called Frias a Bronx hero, adding, “A man that literally exemplified what it means to sacrifice for his nation and his fellow man, he’s an example to the rest of us, for what it means to love your neighbor.”

Frias’ brother, José, thanked Cabrera for the honor to his brother, before saying, “I couldn’t believe it when the Councilman offered to do this for us because my brother felt that he didn’t need recognition for anything he did.”

According to his sister Cristina Ali, Frias was born in the Dominican Republic and immigrated to the Bronx as a child. He grew up in University Heights, and attended and graduated from Adlai E. Stevenson High School in Castle Hill in June 1989.

He attended one semester at Hunter College, before joining the family business at the Bravo Supermarket on West 183rd Street.

According to his mother, Frias was a master in Taekwondo. He represented the Dominican Republic in the sport, and went as far as winning an Olympic Bronze medal.

Referring to her late brother, Ali said, “No matter how much physical or emotional pain he was going through, he made sure everyone had a laugh, even if it was at his own expense.”

She added, “The birth of his first child, and the needs of his family in their future motivated him to join the U.S. Army.” In the fall of 1996, Frias did so, and was stationed initially at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

Years later, while serving in Iraq, his unit was ambushed on March 7, 2004 in the city of Kirkuk. Despite being shot multiple times, he was able to return enemy fire, and helped save the lives of two fellow soldiers. On March 19 of the same year, Frias was visited at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Iraq by President George W. Bush, who presented him with the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star.

Frias died on January 23, 2019 at age 46. He left behind a wife, daughter and two sons. He was buried at St. Raymond’s Cemetery with full military honors.