I know there is a few fellow veteran vols out there. A good buddy of mine from my army days was found dead the other day, for years he has been suffering greatly with PTSD and the VA wasn't much help. The below interview is long but if you have time please read, his experience getting hit with an IED is heart breaking.
Interview 1: Mr. Marco Illanes, SPC United States Army. Born in 1976 in Bolivia. Currently is stationed at Fort Bragg, NC. Purple Heart recipient, Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Q. When did you move to the United States?
A. I moved from Bolivia to the U.S. in 1998. I moved to Northern Virginia, the D.C. area to live with my father and brother.
Q. Had they already been living here in the United States?
A. My father and brother moved to D.C. in 1986 from Bolivia.
Q. Was it hard moving to the U.S. and living your home in Bolivia?
A. Not really, I had my brother and father living here. It was a little hard to leave the rest of my family [ Marco has three sisters and mother currently living in Bolivia] in Bolivia.
Q. What year did you join the United States Army?
A. I joined the army in 2002 and was sent to Fort Bragg, NC in 2003.
Q. So where did you attend basic training?
A. Fort Jackson, SC.
Q. How did she feel about you being deployed to Iraq? Was it tough on the relationship?
A. Its really tough and a lot of tensions it brings to the relationship. Especially when we both are in the military. After my latest deployment to Iraq it has been two and a half years of us being separated.
She was deployed to Iraq one month after I got back from my first deployment. When she got back I was sent back for my second deployment at the first of this year. So it was really hard for the both of us. We are now separated and she is now living back in her hometown in California.
Q. So you have been deployed more than once?
A. Well this one was my second deployment. I was on my second deployment when I got injured.
Q. You said your first duty in Iraq was 12 months, how long were you going to be there on your second tour?
A. My unit was scheduled to be in country for 15 months. I was only in Iraq for three months before I got injured on my first convoy operation.
Q. Can you tell me what it was like up until that mission?
A. It was a little different from my first deployment. The living quarters had improved since my first deployment. We lived in air conditioned trailer, which were pretty nice. We could do our own laundry, or drop them of at K.B.R. [Kellogg’s Brown and Root] facilities and they would have our clothes back to us the next day. It was weird for me because it was a new unit; we had to get use to each other because we were going to be family for the next 15 months.
I felt confident though because I had been deployed before. A lot of new soldier felt confident in me and would come to me for advice. They felt comfortable about talking to me about personal and military issues. They looked up to me because I had been to Iraqi before.
Q. So it was your first mission on this deployment that you were injured?
A. My unit had been picked to due gun truck missions. Which are convoy escorts? We were escorting civilian contractors and bringing supplies, food, fuel and other supplies. Delivering to different areas across the country. We were heading up north to northern Baghdad.
Q. Did anyone else get injured along with you?
A. There were four people in my truck, my soldier, me and two sergeants from the reserves. They were getting ready to leave Iraq in two weeks. They were with us to advise us and help train us for convoy missions. Our unit was replacing their unit in Iraqi. This was there last mission in Iraq. So we were really confident to have them riding in our Humvee.
It’s really sad because two guys didn’t come back. Unfortunately the two Sergeants had lost their lives. Yeah, and my soldier got hurt, he is suffering more emotional than physical. He got hurt a little bit and returned to duty the next day. I was the only one that got hurt and got sent back home. I have spent all my time since the injury in hospitals. In Baghdad, Germany, Chapel Hill, and here at Womack. Losing the two great guys is what hurts the most.
Q. So what did your Humvee get hit with?
A. We were driving at night time. IT was like two in the morning. I was driving the convoy scout vehicle and we were ahead of the rest of the convoy by like 100 meters. We got informed that there was possible enemy activity coming up soon. We all were advised to be alert for possible IED’s[ Improvised Explosive Device] and possible small arms fire.
Q. Were you guys prepared?
A. We were always prepared from the gunner, to the T.C., which is the commander of the truck, to the driver. So we were driving and all I remember is getting instructions from my commander and my gunner to switch lanes, go to the left, and go to the right. We did this to avoid possible IED’s on the side of the road. Then after they told me to switch to the right lane all I remember is hearing a big bang and I saw a big flash.
Next thing I know, I don’t know how many minutes or seconds went by, and I remember it looks like a movie. It was all in slow motion, we hit something and it was a big solid bang, not like in Hollywood. When I opened my eyes I asked for everyone. I was concerned for everyone; I did not hear anybody responding back. I though everyone was dead, I even though I was dead.
Then I felt the heat inside of my vehicle because my truck was burning. I realized I was alive and my first concern was to feel to see if I had all my limbs. I saw that my right shoulder was on fire, so I tried to put it away with my NVG’s [Night Vision Googles]. Then I heard my soldier in the back, I asked him to check for the other two guys, he said he saw nothing but fire.
Q. Did you get out of the truck on your own?
A. I had to cut my seat belt of with my knife. My soldier opened my door and help pull me out. I could not walk cause I had a broke leg and my elbow was sticking out of my arm. While we were getting out of the truck. Insurgent were firing at the truck with small arms fire. My soldier froze, he was scared to death. I told him we must low crawl out of the danger zone.
I was so worried we were going to be taken prisoner. My weapon was unserviceable, because it had melted in the fire. I prayed to god and ask him to take my life and not the lives of my fellow soldiers. We crawled about twenty feet away from the truck. I laid there under the stars of Iraq, as the truck burned and enemies fired from the dark at the burning Humvee.
Q. Where was the rest of the convoy at that time?
A. I found out just a week or so ago by my friend Josh that they were ordered to stay back until a recovery team could arrive. Josh told me he feels bad for not advancing to see if I was alright. I told him that’s ok orders are orders.
Q. So what happen when the recover team arrived?
A. I was rushed to a hospital in Fallujah, Iraqi When I got there, a Navy doctor told me my leg was going to have to be amputated. I was like no, you can’t do that. The doctor ask if I could move my toes, I tried real hard and finally I got my toes to wiggle.
Q. So what happen next?
A. They sent me to Baghdad then to Germany. I won’t forget the flight on the C-17 to Germany. At first I was complaining about the pain I was in, until I saw all the soldiers who were onboard with me. One soldier had lost both arm, he did not say a word the whole flight. Another guy’s face looks like Freddy Krueger it was burned so bad. He still had his hair from were he was wearing his Kevlar.
After a few surgeries in Germany, I was sent back to D.C., then they sent me here to Womack hospital. I was awarded the Purple Heart by the secretary of the army. It was a pretty cool feeling to meet him. A lot of friend and family were present there in my hospital room. I got to see my mother for the first time in nine years. The government paid for her to fly here to stay for a few months, while I recover.
Q. So are they going to discharge you from the army?
A. The doctors told me I was going to be discharged after I recovered. I told them I did not want to be discharged. I want to go back to Iraq so I can be with my friends and my army family. The doctor said I would never be able to deploy again, but I may be able to stay in the army and do my job with limited medical profiles
I am just thankful to be alive and to have all my limbs. I just pray for the two soldiers who died in the humvee with me. They were in the reserves after being called up from the IRR. I just pray for their families. I think about them sometime and I cry. It’s really hard, I just thank god I am alive today.
ME: Thanks Marco for the very touching Interview.
Marco: You are welcome.
Interview 1: Mr. Marco Illanes, SPC United States Army. Born in 1976 in Bolivia. Currently is stationed at Fort Bragg, NC. Purple Heart recipient, Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Q. When did you move to the United States?
A. I moved from Bolivia to the U.S. in 1998. I moved to Northern Virginia, the D.C. area to live with my father and brother.
Q. Had they already been living here in the United States?
A. My father and brother moved to D.C. in 1986 from Bolivia.
Q. Was it hard moving to the U.S. and living your home in Bolivia?
A. Not really, I had my brother and father living here. It was a little hard to leave the rest of my family [ Marco has three sisters and mother currently living in Bolivia] in Bolivia.
Q. What year did you join the United States Army?
A. I joined the army in 2002 and was sent to Fort Bragg, NC in 2003.
Q. So where did you attend basic training?
A. Fort Jackson, SC.
Q. How did she feel about you being deployed to Iraq? Was it tough on the relationship?
A. Its really tough and a lot of tensions it brings to the relationship. Especially when we both are in the military. After my latest deployment to Iraq it has been two and a half years of us being separated.
She was deployed to Iraq one month after I got back from my first deployment. When she got back I was sent back for my second deployment at the first of this year. So it was really hard for the both of us. We are now separated and she is now living back in her hometown in California.
Q. So you have been deployed more than once?
A. Well this one was my second deployment. I was on my second deployment when I got injured.
Q. You said your first duty in Iraq was 12 months, how long were you going to be there on your second tour?
A. My unit was scheduled to be in country for 15 months. I was only in Iraq for three months before I got injured on my first convoy operation.
Q. Can you tell me what it was like up until that mission?
A. It was a little different from my first deployment. The living quarters had improved since my first deployment. We lived in air conditioned trailer, which were pretty nice. We could do our own laundry, or drop them of at K.B.R. [Kellogg’s Brown and Root] facilities and they would have our clothes back to us the next day. It was weird for me because it was a new unit; we had to get use to each other because we were going to be family for the next 15 months.
I felt confident though because I had been deployed before. A lot of new soldier felt confident in me and would come to me for advice. They felt comfortable about talking to me about personal and military issues. They looked up to me because I had been to Iraqi before.
Q. So it was your first mission on this deployment that you were injured?
A. My unit had been picked to due gun truck missions. Which are convoy escorts? We were escorting civilian contractors and bringing supplies, food, fuel and other supplies. Delivering to different areas across the country. We were heading up north to northern Baghdad.
Q. Did anyone else get injured along with you?
A. There were four people in my truck, my soldier, me and two sergeants from the reserves. They were getting ready to leave Iraq in two weeks. They were with us to advise us and help train us for convoy missions. Our unit was replacing their unit in Iraqi. This was there last mission in Iraq. So we were really confident to have them riding in our Humvee.
It’s really sad because two guys didn’t come back. Unfortunately the two Sergeants had lost their lives. Yeah, and my soldier got hurt, he is suffering more emotional than physical. He got hurt a little bit and returned to duty the next day. I was the only one that got hurt and got sent back home. I have spent all my time since the injury in hospitals. In Baghdad, Germany, Chapel Hill, and here at Womack. Losing the two great guys is what hurts the most.
Q. So what did your Humvee get hit with?
A. We were driving at night time. IT was like two in the morning. I was driving the convoy scout vehicle and we were ahead of the rest of the convoy by like 100 meters. We got informed that there was possible enemy activity coming up soon. We all were advised to be alert for possible IED’s[ Improvised Explosive Device] and possible small arms fire.
Q. Were you guys prepared?
A. We were always prepared from the gunner, to the T.C., which is the commander of the truck, to the driver. So we were driving and all I remember is getting instructions from my commander and my gunner to switch lanes, go to the left, and go to the right. We did this to avoid possible IED’s on the side of the road. Then after they told me to switch to the right lane all I remember is hearing a big bang and I saw a big flash.
Next thing I know, I don’t know how many minutes or seconds went by, and I remember it looks like a movie. It was all in slow motion, we hit something and it was a big solid bang, not like in Hollywood. When I opened my eyes I asked for everyone. I was concerned for everyone; I did not hear anybody responding back. I though everyone was dead, I even though I was dead.
Then I felt the heat inside of my vehicle because my truck was burning. I realized I was alive and my first concern was to feel to see if I had all my limbs. I saw that my right shoulder was on fire, so I tried to put it away with my NVG’s [Night Vision Googles]. Then I heard my soldier in the back, I asked him to check for the other two guys, he said he saw nothing but fire.
Q. Did you get out of the truck on your own?
A. I had to cut my seat belt of with my knife. My soldier opened my door and help pull me out. I could not walk cause I had a broke leg and my elbow was sticking out of my arm. While we were getting out of the truck. Insurgent were firing at the truck with small arms fire. My soldier froze, he was scared to death. I told him we must low crawl out of the danger zone.
I was so worried we were going to be taken prisoner. My weapon was unserviceable, because it had melted in the fire. I prayed to god and ask him to take my life and not the lives of my fellow soldiers. We crawled about twenty feet away from the truck. I laid there under the stars of Iraq, as the truck burned and enemies fired from the dark at the burning Humvee.
Q. Where was the rest of the convoy at that time?
A. I found out just a week or so ago by my friend Josh that they were ordered to stay back until a recovery team could arrive. Josh told me he feels bad for not advancing to see if I was alright. I told him that’s ok orders are orders.
Q. So what happen when the recover team arrived?
A. I was rushed to a hospital in Fallujah, Iraqi When I got there, a Navy doctor told me my leg was going to have to be amputated. I was like no, you can’t do that. The doctor ask if I could move my toes, I tried real hard and finally I got my toes to wiggle.
Q. So what happen next?
A. They sent me to Baghdad then to Germany. I won’t forget the flight on the C-17 to Germany. At first I was complaining about the pain I was in, until I saw all the soldiers who were onboard with me. One soldier had lost both arm, he did not say a word the whole flight. Another guy’s face looks like Freddy Krueger it was burned so bad. He still had his hair from were he was wearing his Kevlar.
After a few surgeries in Germany, I was sent back to D.C., then they sent me here to Womack hospital. I was awarded the Purple Heart by the secretary of the army. It was a pretty cool feeling to meet him. A lot of friend and family were present there in my hospital room. I got to see my mother for the first time in nine years. The government paid for her to fly here to stay for a few months, while I recover.
Q. So are they going to discharge you from the army?
A. The doctors told me I was going to be discharged after I recovered. I told them I did not want to be discharged. I want to go back to Iraq so I can be with my friends and my army family. The doctor said I would never be able to deploy again, but I may be able to stay in the army and do my job with limited medical profiles
I am just thankful to be alive and to have all my limbs. I just pray for the two soldiers who died in the humvee with me. They were in the reserves after being called up from the IRR. I just pray for their families. I think about them sometime and I cry. It’s really hard, I just thank god I am alive today.
ME: Thanks Marco for the very touching Interview.
Marco: You are welcome.
