thedrifter
03-28-09, 07:04 AM
Santa Paula Marine returns from fourth tour in Iraq, hopes to stay
By Jannette Jauregui
Friday, March 27, 2009
Last August, Carlos Lopez of Santa Paula pinned a blue star lapel pin on his mother’s shirt just days before he left for his fourth tour to Iraq.
“I promised him when he left that I would keep it on until he came home again,” Anna Lopez said. “And I told him that no one was going to take it off except him.”
On March 13, after more than seven months, the pin was removed when Lopez returned from Iraq.
“I prayed every day,” Anna Lopez said. “Every time he goes away, the more worried I get. But he’s home. I’m so grateful for that.”
Last November, I wrote a story chronicling Lopez’s time in the Marines, including his first three tours to Iraq, and the hardships that accompanied them.
At the time, Lopez, 25, was unsure of his future. He knew he wanted to serve his country, but he had already sacrificed so much. His marriage to the mother of his two young children had ended, and he was suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
In addition, he had severe back pain, the result of an injury during his third tour in Fallujah in 2006. That, combined with the depression associated with PTSD, left Lopez listed as 30 percent disabled in his military medical records.
“Things were really tough for me then, and I was lost,” Lopez said.
Called back to duty
When he returned from his third tour in June 2006, Lopez had already put in four years and was placed in the Individual Ready Reserves. He figured his time in combat was done and was trying to move on with his life. He enrolled in courses at Ventura College and began reconciling with his wife, Liza. But in January 2008, Lopez was called back to active duty.
“I had a lot of mixed feelings about it all,” he said. “But the only thing I was sure of is that I wanted to serve my country. I just needed to find a way to do that and balance my personal life with it, too.”
During his fourth tour, Lopez found a way to do that.
From the day he left the United States last August until the day his tour ended, Lopez recorded his experiences and feelings in a diary. The writing served as a form of therapy and, upon his return, a way to show his family — especially his wife — just how much he thought of them.
In his first entry he wrote:
“This passage I write will begin with me leaving my family to go off to war, but will end with my arrival in the U.S., alive and safe.”
Lopez’s fourth tour led him to Camp Fallujah for a second time.
“Things had really changed this time around,” he said. “Everything was different there, including the morale of the Marines with me. In 2006, so many of us were dying, we just wanted to go home. But now everything is positive. Everyone seemed like they wanted to be there.”
‘Home in one piece’
Aug. 20, 2008 diary entry: “So much is happening in the world. I guess when I get home I’ll hear all about it. I just want to come home in one piece. Mind. Body. Soul.”
Lopez was attached to 1st Marine Logistics Group, Combat Logistical Battalion 5, Motor Transport Company 1st Platoon, and was assigned duties as a turret gunner.
“There was a lot of grunt work involved, but it wasn’t so bad,” he said. “The atmosphere there was totally different and so much more peaceful. The first time I went, there was more firing, but it had almost stopped when I got back.”
A majority of the convoys Lopez participated in were guard duty patrols. “When I was there before, I was doing foot patrols and raiding houses,” he said. “It was a lot more violent then.”
Oct. 11, 2008 diary entry: “Almost to my halfway point on my deployment. Just a few more months here then I’ll be back home. I miss my children and my wife. I think about them all the time.”
In November, Lopez was transferred to Camp Baharia near Camp Fallujah.
Rumors began to spread about reactivating Lopez’s battalion. But the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), which limits the amount of action that can be taken by foreign military in a host country, may have changed that.
In November, the Iraqi Parliament voted to implement the agreement, which also included a plan to slowly begin withdrawing American military personnel from the country.
“What we were told is that they are planning to take troops out of the actual cities and place them strictly on duty in bases there,” Lopez said.
“They told me that I wouldn’t be sent back because I had already done too much time and didn’t fall under the guidelines of who was being sent back.”
Honored for service
Dec. 9, 2008 diary entry: “Missed my son’s fifth birthday on Friday. I called. He sounded happy. My family I miss very much. Along with my loving wife. Some Marines in this country are starting to get disgruntled. Being away usually does that. But for others, it’s just another day. I’ve learned a lot from these Marines. ... I have to say they are truly the best platoon I have ever been part of.”
In mid-February, Lopez’s platoon began to prepare for its journey home.
“Some of us are coming back for good, or at least that’s the plan now,” he said. “Others are just here for a while. Some will be sent back and some will be part of the efforts in Afghanistan.”
Before he left Iraq, Lopez was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal for his service as a gunner in Fallujah.
“I don’t and won’t claim to be a big-time war hero,” he said. “I just serve my country.”
The first stop was at Camp Pendleton where each Marine was given an individual leave. Lopez was given a week.
One year left to serve
On March 9, he returned to Santa Paula, welcomed by a sign his mom made and hung on the outside of their home. It read “Welcome Home Our Hero Carlos.”
On the sign are dozens of yellow ribbons that Anna Lopez drew for family members and friends to sign.
“I couldn’t get my kids off of me,” he said. “It was the best feeling. They just wanted to be close, and so did I. My worst fear was that they’d begin to distance themselves because I’ve been away so long.”
On March 15, Lopez returned to Camp Pendleton to complete the demobilization process, essentially a way to ease back into civilian life.
On May 4, he will officially be back in the Individual Ready Reserves with one year left to serve. When he is finished next year, he will have completed eight years of military duty, five of which were in active combat duty.
In his final diary entry, Lopez wrote the following: “The future is now. When all is said and done, we can at least say ‘I was there.’ The Marines. Always faithful. We have lived up to our motto. ... Four tours, seven years, countless nights away. Chronicles of the sands. A Marine recalled to active duty.”
— Of War and Life is a twice-monthly column that tells the stories of area veterans. Contact Jannette Jauregui at jmjaureg@callutheran.edu or by mail to Jannette Jauregui, c/o Ventura County Star editorial department, P.O. Box 6006, Camarillo, CA 93011. The information included in this report is based on the recollections of the veterans.
Ellie
By Jannette Jauregui
Friday, March 27, 2009
Last August, Carlos Lopez of Santa Paula pinned a blue star lapel pin on his mother’s shirt just days before he left for his fourth tour to Iraq.
“I promised him when he left that I would keep it on until he came home again,” Anna Lopez said. “And I told him that no one was going to take it off except him.”
On March 13, after more than seven months, the pin was removed when Lopez returned from Iraq.
“I prayed every day,” Anna Lopez said. “Every time he goes away, the more worried I get. But he’s home. I’m so grateful for that.”
Last November, I wrote a story chronicling Lopez’s time in the Marines, including his first three tours to Iraq, and the hardships that accompanied them.
At the time, Lopez, 25, was unsure of his future. He knew he wanted to serve his country, but he had already sacrificed so much. His marriage to the mother of his two young children had ended, and he was suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
In addition, he had severe back pain, the result of an injury during his third tour in Fallujah in 2006. That, combined with the depression associated with PTSD, left Lopez listed as 30 percent disabled in his military medical records.
“Things were really tough for me then, and I was lost,” Lopez said.
Called back to duty
When he returned from his third tour in June 2006, Lopez had already put in four years and was placed in the Individual Ready Reserves. He figured his time in combat was done and was trying to move on with his life. He enrolled in courses at Ventura College and began reconciling with his wife, Liza. But in January 2008, Lopez was called back to active duty.
“I had a lot of mixed feelings about it all,” he said. “But the only thing I was sure of is that I wanted to serve my country. I just needed to find a way to do that and balance my personal life with it, too.”
During his fourth tour, Lopez found a way to do that.
From the day he left the United States last August until the day his tour ended, Lopez recorded his experiences and feelings in a diary. The writing served as a form of therapy and, upon his return, a way to show his family — especially his wife — just how much he thought of them.
In his first entry he wrote:
“This passage I write will begin with me leaving my family to go off to war, but will end with my arrival in the U.S., alive and safe.”
Lopez’s fourth tour led him to Camp Fallujah for a second time.
“Things had really changed this time around,” he said. “Everything was different there, including the morale of the Marines with me. In 2006, so many of us were dying, we just wanted to go home. But now everything is positive. Everyone seemed like they wanted to be there.”
‘Home in one piece’
Aug. 20, 2008 diary entry: “So much is happening in the world. I guess when I get home I’ll hear all about it. I just want to come home in one piece. Mind. Body. Soul.”
Lopez was attached to 1st Marine Logistics Group, Combat Logistical Battalion 5, Motor Transport Company 1st Platoon, and was assigned duties as a turret gunner.
“There was a lot of grunt work involved, but it wasn’t so bad,” he said. “The atmosphere there was totally different and so much more peaceful. The first time I went, there was more firing, but it had almost stopped when I got back.”
A majority of the convoys Lopez participated in were guard duty patrols. “When I was there before, I was doing foot patrols and raiding houses,” he said. “It was a lot more violent then.”
Oct. 11, 2008 diary entry: “Almost to my halfway point on my deployment. Just a few more months here then I’ll be back home. I miss my children and my wife. I think about them all the time.”
In November, Lopez was transferred to Camp Baharia near Camp Fallujah.
Rumors began to spread about reactivating Lopez’s battalion. But the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), which limits the amount of action that can be taken by foreign military in a host country, may have changed that.
In November, the Iraqi Parliament voted to implement the agreement, which also included a plan to slowly begin withdrawing American military personnel from the country.
“What we were told is that they are planning to take troops out of the actual cities and place them strictly on duty in bases there,” Lopez said.
“They told me that I wouldn’t be sent back because I had already done too much time and didn’t fall under the guidelines of who was being sent back.”
Honored for service
Dec. 9, 2008 diary entry: “Missed my son’s fifth birthday on Friday. I called. He sounded happy. My family I miss very much. Along with my loving wife. Some Marines in this country are starting to get disgruntled. Being away usually does that. But for others, it’s just another day. I’ve learned a lot from these Marines. ... I have to say they are truly the best platoon I have ever been part of.”
In mid-February, Lopez’s platoon began to prepare for its journey home.
“Some of us are coming back for good, or at least that’s the plan now,” he said. “Others are just here for a while. Some will be sent back and some will be part of the efforts in Afghanistan.”
Before he left Iraq, Lopez was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal for his service as a gunner in Fallujah.
“I don’t and won’t claim to be a big-time war hero,” he said. “I just serve my country.”
The first stop was at Camp Pendleton where each Marine was given an individual leave. Lopez was given a week.
One year left to serve
On March 9, he returned to Santa Paula, welcomed by a sign his mom made and hung on the outside of their home. It read “Welcome Home Our Hero Carlos.”
On the sign are dozens of yellow ribbons that Anna Lopez drew for family members and friends to sign.
“I couldn’t get my kids off of me,” he said. “It was the best feeling. They just wanted to be close, and so did I. My worst fear was that they’d begin to distance themselves because I’ve been away so long.”
On March 15, Lopez returned to Camp Pendleton to complete the demobilization process, essentially a way to ease back into civilian life.
On May 4, he will officially be back in the Individual Ready Reserves with one year left to serve. When he is finished next year, he will have completed eight years of military duty, five of which were in active combat duty.
In his final diary entry, Lopez wrote the following: “The future is now. When all is said and done, we can at least say ‘I was there.’ The Marines. Always faithful. We have lived up to our motto. ... Four tours, seven years, countless nights away. Chronicles of the sands. A Marine recalled to active duty.”
— Of War and Life is a twice-monthly column that tells the stories of area veterans. Contact Jannette Jauregui at jmjaureg@callutheran.edu or by mail to Jannette Jauregui, c/o Ventura County Star editorial department, P.O. Box 6006, Camarillo, CA 93011. The information included in this report is based on the recollections of the veterans.
Ellie