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Nearly three years after the tragic loss of their daughter during a tour of duty in Iraq, the parents of the Fort Washington woman said they are dedicated to keeping their daughter's memory alive as they move forward with a foundation to honor her memory and legacy.

U.S. Army 2nd Lt. Emily Perez, 23, a 2001 graduate of Oxon Hill High School, was killed in September 2006 after her Humvee hit a roadside bomb. Emily Perez's parents, Daniel and Vicki Perez of Fort Washington, said they set out to ensure that their daughter would be remembered, and that year founded the Emily J.T. Perez Foundation, which held its first fundraising banquet Saturday.

"Most parents kind of wallow in their grief, and Emily wouldn't have wanted us to do that," Vicki Perez said.

The foundation's mission is to preserve Emily Perez's faith, life and legacy by empowering young women in their community to strive for success and reach their full potential, something that embodied who she was, said the foundation's secretary, Tiffany Martin, 26, who was Emily Perez's roommate at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in New York.

"She is somebody who had a great deal of success in her lifetime," said Martin, of Arlington, Va. "She wanted to help young women. She wanted to help African-Americans."

The First Annual Legacy & Scholarship Banquet this month in New Carrollton drew letters of support from County Executive Jack B. Johnson (D) and U.S. Rep. Donna F. Edwards (D-Dist. 4). Although Vicki Perez did not have an estimate Tuesday of how much money was raised, the proceeds will benefit scholarships for female graduates of Oxon Hill High.

"Our desire one day is to give full rides [to college] to young women," Vicki Perez said.

In high school, Emily Perez was a straight "A" student, graduating in the top 5 percent of her class, and successful athlete who was fluent in German and always had time to work with the local American Red Cross in Alexandria, Va., her parents said.

By the time she graduated, she set her eyes on West Point. Daniel Perez said his daughter had never before expressed an interest in the military, but something happened during her visit to the school that changed her mind.

"She knew within her heart that that's where she wanted to go," Vicki Perez said.

Perez became the first black woman at West Point to attain the rank of corps command sergeant major during the 2005 school year. She graduated from West Point in 2005 in the top 10 percent of her class and deployed to Iraq in the fall of 2005 as a Medical Service Corps officer.

Emily Perez quickly became a frequent convoy leader, transporting dozens of vehicles throughout Iraq. Her parents said fellow soldiers came to trust her so much that she would often lead convoys when she was not required to.

"They felt so comfortable and safe because of the trust the soldiers had in her faith," Vicki Perez said.

It was that trust that caused Emily Perez to unknowingly sacrifice her life to save another soldier, her parents said.

On the day of her death, Emily Perez asked a fellow lieutenant to step down from leading the convoy so she could lead it herself because she felt the lieutenant was not ready, Daniel Perez said. While leading the convoy in Al Kifl, Emily Perez's Humvee hit a bomb, killing her. Her translator's legs were severed, and soldiers in the back of the vehicle suffered only minor injuries.

"She would put her life on hold to take care of the needs of others," Vicki Perez said.

And for her family and friends, recovering from the devastating news was only half the battle.

William Lenox, a former superintendent at West Point, said he came to know Emily Perez as the "full package" because she was one of the few cadets who excelled at every task at the academy.

"The toughest thing I had to do as a superintendent was the eulogy for her funeral," Lenox said.

But for Daniel and Vicki Perez, it was the support from those who knew their daughter and heard of her story that helped the couple the most.

"There is no way in the world that we could have come through by ourselves," Vicki Perez said. "It just seemed like everybody from all over the world was sending letters."

Daniel Perez added that it was "overwhelming when you look at the impact she had on people who didn't even know her."

Emily's memory lives on beyond the foundation, according to Daniel Perez, who said he still receives letters from women saying they have a picture of his daughter at their work desks as a source of strength.

In Iraq, her unit, the 204th Support Battalion of the 1st Infantry Division, continues to honor her with a street named "Emily's Way" because she always a special way of doing things, Daniel Perez said.