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Local Reserves Survive Roadside Bomb Attack

EDITOR'S NOTE: Sgt. Walter Castilleja of Grandview is with the Army Reserve 737th Transportation Company. The Yakima-based unit, which deployed to the Middle East in February, is on fuel-driving missions in Iraq. Castilleja is based at Camp Cedar II, about 190 miles southeast of Baghdad. The following is an edited e-mail Castilleja wrote Oct. 29 as part of an occasional series of "Letters Home" from members of the 737th.


The weather has started to change. It has gotten chilly in the mornings, if you want to call upper 60s chilly. But for us here at Camp Cedar II, it's downright cold.

The past month and a half has been a hard time to get through personally. Back on Sept. 18, we were leaving BIAP (Baghdad International Airport) and heading back to Cedar II when the convoy I was on was attacked by a roadside bomb.

The IED (improvised explosive device) went off in front of the vehicle I was driving. I remember seeing the orange glow, hearing the blast and feeling the impact. After a second or two, I realized that we had been hit.

After regaining my senses, I looked to see if my gunner, Spc. Alex Gonzales of Yakima, was OK. He told me he had been hit by shrapnel in his right arm. I turned on my flashlight and saw blood soaking through his DCU (Desert Camouflage Uniform) top.

What happened after that was just pure training kicking in. Spc. Gonzales (Gonzo) got on the radio and with a calm voice let the convoy commander know that we had been hit and that our vehicle was damaged but driveable. After a few curse words, I noticed that we had no brakes and that we also had a huge hole in our fuel tank. We were losing fuel fast.

At the same time, we were waiting for the enemy to open up with small arms fire, which they didn't. The IED was remote detonated, so whoever was there hightailed it out of the area.

I drove us out of the kill zone and made it to coalition checkpoint. At that time, Gonzo was being treated by the MPs and Medics. He had lost some blood, but he was going to be OK. I couldn't hear out of my right ear and I swallowed some tiny pieces of glass. We were checked out by the doctors at Camp Scania and released to go back to Cedar II.

It turned out to be a very, very long night for everybody who was on that convoy.

I want to tell Spc. Gonzales' family that they should be proud of their son. He did everything he was supposed to do, despite having a hole in his arm and all of the chaos that ensued.

It has been over a month since that night, and we are both back on duty. Gonzo still has that piece of shrapnel in his arm. The doc said it would do more harm than good if they took it out. My hearing has come back, but I won't know how much hearing I lost till I get tested. The nightmares have gone away, but I still think about that night. I replay that moment in my mind at least 50 times a day.

We are still doing our missions here with the same trucks. We are soldiers; we do what we are told. We may not like it sometimes, but we accomplish our mission.

The (Army Reserve unit from South Carolina) that refused to go on mission has put a black eye on the Reserve component. I can see where they are coming from, but you never let a mission fail, no matter what. When a mission fails, soldiers die. It's just as simple as that. I can tell you that my soldiers will accomplish the mission. My team leaders and I will go above and beyond to make sure that the soldiers are safe as possible when we are on the road. The rest is up to God.

I am proud of my soldiers in 2nd squad: Staff Sgt. T.J. Rabe, Staff Sgt. Frederick Barela, Sgt. Dennis Lamberton, Sgt. Christopher Tooker, Sgt. Tad Higgins, Sgt. Jasmin Contreras, Spc. Kenneth Frashure, Spc. Hyo Lee, Spc. King and Spc. Fred Morisako. They stepped it up a notch while I was down and made sure all missions were completed safely.

Please keep the prayers coming and continue the support. It really means a lot to us.


***


EDITOR'S NOTE: Pfc. Clay M. Hull of Yakima is with the Washington National Guard 81st Armor Brigade. Hull, who is employed at Shields Bag and Printing, has been in Iraq since July. He is based at Camp Anaconda, about 40 miles north of Baghdad. The following are edited excerpts from two e-mails he sent the Yakima Herald-Republic in recent weeks.

When I got here, I had a lot of questions about why we were here. At first, I didn't want to be here, but when I started being used (to going) outside the wire as a sniper, I came into contact with the local people and learned a lot from them. My questions were answered, and now I'm proud to be here helping them.

I work with (Iraqis) and see them often. Lately, I've been attached to the MPs as their sniper and we do patrols outside the wire.

Sometimes we take the Iraqi soldiers with us, and they do what we train them to do. They serve as interpreters and extra-fire support. They are very happy to have the jobs that they have with us.

Today we had a platoon get together with them just for fun, and it's a kick to talk to them. Some of them are prior special forces with the old Iraqi army and some were college kids. They help us; we help them.

I have a picture of one of their soldiers who brought his little girl in for medical help. If he wasn't a soldier, she probably wouldn't have received the help. They don't have anything like the docs we have back home.

Sometimes I miss home, but then read some headlines about here and am glad I'm not home. Today, I read a headline about not finding any weapons of mass destruction and I wonder if people are that stupid back home. Don't they understand Saddam was a weapon of mass destruction?

I wish they could see what I see. Maybe they would stop complaining. If you could, let the folks back home know I'm safe and sound doing my job and proud of it.

As for when we come back, maybe May, maybe sooner. I'm just a grunt. They don't tell us much besides where and when to shoot.