thedrifter
01-08-08, 06:10 AM
Semper Fi - despite injury, Malesso native wants to return to Corps
by John Davis, KUAM News
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
24-year-old former Malesso resident and demolition engineer Leonard Chargualaf joined the United States Marine Corps in 2001. Two years later, Chargualaf took his first tour of Iraq and returned to the Middle East for Operation Iraqi Freedom every year until June 2007. At the time he was pushing through enemy lines with his fellow Marines just north of Fallujah with a mission to push insurgents to the south of the city and into the killzone, where insurgents would either be forced to give up or die for their cause.
According to Chargualaf, it was a day-to-day routine until an improvised explosive device not only cut his mission short, but changed his life forever. "My left side was untouched," he recalled in excruciating detail, "It was all the right side - shrapnel and burns, lost hearing to both ears or complete hearing out of my right ear and severe hearing loss to the left." He added, "I got graphs taken from my left side of my body to put on to my right side because I didn't have any skin left."
After being medically transported from Iraq to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, where he would receive treatment for injuries sustained in battle with Iraqi insurgents, Chargualaf would return home once more in September 2007, where he was awarded the Purple Heart for suffering an injury while in the line of duty. While his family was present to see him accept the oldest symbol and award given to a member of the U.S. military, many see this award as an honor.
But for Chargualaf, the meaning is entirely different. "It was something that I didn't want to get. It's basically an award you are given when you get hurt in a combat environment. That's something everybody gets whether you live or die, usually people would rather get it when they're dead, but I happened to get it and I'm still alive," he said.
Aside from the military honor presented to him Chargualaf says his fiance, Mila Ahn and a different kind of pride and joy in helping him with his recovery: his 18-month-old baby girl Arianna. But he says even taking care of his own may pose problems at times. He explained, "I can change her, feed her, play with her to a minimum. I can do that, but to try to chase after her, someone else has to do that for me."
With the holidays coming and going recently, Chargualaf says although he is healing and not completely mobile, this holiday season was all about the family and was definitely better than last holiday season. "I know I'm not going to be deploying anytime soon, so it's kind of a stress reliever and knowing that I can spend a little more time with my family, it's a little better," he said.
In June Chargualaf says the Marine's medical board will determine whether he will be able to continue his career with the Corps. Looking ahead, he said, "If they allow me to deploy me again, if my Marines need me, then I'll go back out with them."
Chargualaf will return to San Antonio for further treatment next week.
Ellie
by John Davis, KUAM News
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
24-year-old former Malesso resident and demolition engineer Leonard Chargualaf joined the United States Marine Corps in 2001. Two years later, Chargualaf took his first tour of Iraq and returned to the Middle East for Operation Iraqi Freedom every year until June 2007. At the time he was pushing through enemy lines with his fellow Marines just north of Fallujah with a mission to push insurgents to the south of the city and into the killzone, where insurgents would either be forced to give up or die for their cause.
According to Chargualaf, it was a day-to-day routine until an improvised explosive device not only cut his mission short, but changed his life forever. "My left side was untouched," he recalled in excruciating detail, "It was all the right side - shrapnel and burns, lost hearing to both ears or complete hearing out of my right ear and severe hearing loss to the left." He added, "I got graphs taken from my left side of my body to put on to my right side because I didn't have any skin left."
After being medically transported from Iraq to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, where he would receive treatment for injuries sustained in battle with Iraqi insurgents, Chargualaf would return home once more in September 2007, where he was awarded the Purple Heart for suffering an injury while in the line of duty. While his family was present to see him accept the oldest symbol and award given to a member of the U.S. military, many see this award as an honor.
But for Chargualaf, the meaning is entirely different. "It was something that I didn't want to get. It's basically an award you are given when you get hurt in a combat environment. That's something everybody gets whether you live or die, usually people would rather get it when they're dead, but I happened to get it and I'm still alive," he said.
Aside from the military honor presented to him Chargualaf says his fiance, Mila Ahn and a different kind of pride and joy in helping him with his recovery: his 18-month-old baby girl Arianna. But he says even taking care of his own may pose problems at times. He explained, "I can change her, feed her, play with her to a minimum. I can do that, but to try to chase after her, someone else has to do that for me."
With the holidays coming and going recently, Chargualaf says although he is healing and not completely mobile, this holiday season was all about the family and was definitely better than last holiday season. "I know I'm not going to be deploying anytime soon, so it's kind of a stress reliever and knowing that I can spend a little more time with my family, it's a little better," he said.
In June Chargualaf says the Marine's medical board will determine whether he will be able to continue his career with the Corps. Looking ahead, he said, "If they allow me to deploy me again, if my Marines need me, then I'll go back out with them."
Chargualaf will return to San Antonio for further treatment next week.
Ellie