Car full of weapons lands US soldier in Mexican jail

Maj. Steven Lamb, a 1st Cavalry Division spokesman, said Torres's absence from the military is not considered to be his fault -but his future remains murky.

"There are just entirely too many variables," Lamb said.

Gloria Medina, who raised Torres as a single mother, said he wasn't a good student so she let him finish high school through a home-study program. He then stocked shelves at Wal-Mart and worked in construction before joining the Army two years later.

He's "grown into a fine young man," Medina said.

When he is released, Torres hopes to finish the final four years of his Army contract, then go into the tile business with a buddy and take care of his mother.

"She's been there for everything," Torres said.