thedrifter
12-28-08, 07:29 AM
Marine did best to stay focused on tours in Iraq
December 28, 2008
BY JASON FREEMAN, Staff Writer
During his two tours of duty in Iraq and abroad, Marine Cpl. Adam Madrigal tried his best not to think about his home and the loved ones who filled it.
"It's hard, but you can't really focus on it, because then you're putting people at risk," he said. "If you're always thinking about home, then you're not thinking about what you're doing. That's when people get hurt."
That's not to say that the 23-year-old Blue Island resident, who served in the 1st Division of the Light Armor Reconnaissance Battalion Weapons Company, never thought about family and friends.
"When you're laying down at night looking up at the sky, when you have a short break to think, then maybe you think about it," he said.
Madrigal is now on inactive reserve after serving in Al Anbar Province in northern Iraq for seven months in 2005 and 2006 and aboard the U.S.S. Bonhomme Richard as a scout in the Marine Expeditionary Unit for seven months in 2007.
During his first tour, Madrigal conducted home searches, looked for insurgents and worked closely with the Iraqi forces and people.
"The insurgents treated the people very badly," he said. "They were like a gang who terrorized the town. They really bullied them.
"When we were there, we tried to respect their customs and courtesies. We interacted with the townspeople and their leaders and asked them what they needed. They saw we weren't going to treat them like (the insurgents did), and we kind of won them over that way."
Madrigal's second tour took him to places such as Singapore, Guam, Hawaii, Iraq and Australia.
"We were kind of like a quick reaction force," he said. "If something happened anywhere around the world, (we would) respond to it."
Madrigal said his time in the Marines was demanding, both physically and mentally.
" It's hard," he said. "It's very taxing on your mentality because you know other people's lives are in your hands. If you mess up, someone could get killed. It's just a fact. It gets very stressful."
"After a while, though, you get accustomed to (the pressure)," he said. "You find your groove and do your job."
After graduating from Eisenhower High School in 2004, Madrigal immediately enlisted in the Marines.
"I just wanted to do something different," he said. "You always hear about how the Marines are the best at what they do. I wanted to be a part of that."
After basic training in San Diego, Madrigal moved on to the School of Infantry at Camp Pendleton, Calif., before joining the LAR Battalion.
"When you start off, you're basically a child, but they rebuild you into a Marine," he said. "They kind of break you down and re-form you."
Madrigal enjoys spending plenty of make-up time with his girlfriend, Dee, parents Nancy and Thomas and older sisters Jennifer and Christy, as well as pursuing a fire science degree at Moraine Valley Community College. He hop es to one day become a firefight er.
"I learned a lot of different skills over there that I can use in different jobs out here," he said. "It taught me a lot, and I really appreciate my time serving for the Marine Corps and for my country."
Jason Freeman can be reached at jfreeman@southtownstar.com or (708) 802-8808.
Ellie
December 28, 2008
BY JASON FREEMAN, Staff Writer
During his two tours of duty in Iraq and abroad, Marine Cpl. Adam Madrigal tried his best not to think about his home and the loved ones who filled it.
"It's hard, but you can't really focus on it, because then you're putting people at risk," he said. "If you're always thinking about home, then you're not thinking about what you're doing. That's when people get hurt."
That's not to say that the 23-year-old Blue Island resident, who served in the 1st Division of the Light Armor Reconnaissance Battalion Weapons Company, never thought about family and friends.
"When you're laying down at night looking up at the sky, when you have a short break to think, then maybe you think about it," he said.
Madrigal is now on inactive reserve after serving in Al Anbar Province in northern Iraq for seven months in 2005 and 2006 and aboard the U.S.S. Bonhomme Richard as a scout in the Marine Expeditionary Unit for seven months in 2007.
During his first tour, Madrigal conducted home searches, looked for insurgents and worked closely with the Iraqi forces and people.
"The insurgents treated the people very badly," he said. "They were like a gang who terrorized the town. They really bullied them.
"When we were there, we tried to respect their customs and courtesies. We interacted with the townspeople and their leaders and asked them what they needed. They saw we weren't going to treat them like (the insurgents did), and we kind of won them over that way."
Madrigal's second tour took him to places such as Singapore, Guam, Hawaii, Iraq and Australia.
"We were kind of like a quick reaction force," he said. "If something happened anywhere around the world, (we would) respond to it."
Madrigal said his time in the Marines was demanding, both physically and mentally.
" It's hard," he said. "It's very taxing on your mentality because you know other people's lives are in your hands. If you mess up, someone could get killed. It's just a fact. It gets very stressful."
"After a while, though, you get accustomed to (the pressure)," he said. "You find your groove and do your job."
After graduating from Eisenhower High School in 2004, Madrigal immediately enlisted in the Marines.
"I just wanted to do something different," he said. "You always hear about how the Marines are the best at what they do. I wanted to be a part of that."
After basic training in San Diego, Madrigal moved on to the School of Infantry at Camp Pendleton, Calif., before joining the LAR Battalion.
"When you start off, you're basically a child, but they rebuild you into a Marine," he said. "They kind of break you down and re-form you."
Madrigal enjoys spending plenty of make-up time with his girlfriend, Dee, parents Nancy and Thomas and older sisters Jennifer and Christy, as well as pursuing a fire science degree at Moraine Valley Community College. He hop es to one day become a firefight er.
"I learned a lot of different skills over there that I can use in different jobs out here," he said. "It taught me a lot, and I really appreciate my time serving for the Marine Corps and for my country."
Jason Freeman can be reached at jfreeman@southtownstar.com or (708) 802-8808.
Ellie