By JANE LaTOUR
The toll of battle casualties — on both sides — climbs
higher with every day U.S. troops remain in Iraq, and combat
medics face double the danger. While Sgt. Anthony P. Hernández
is trained in using the weapons of war, his primary mission
is to save lives. Essentially, his duty is to put his life on
the line to save others.
“The initial minutes after an injury are critical,”
he explained. “Without medics and without instant care,
wounded soldiers could bleed to death, so those first minutes
are crucial to saving lives. The casualty rate is lower because
we have medics on the front lines and an injured soldier gets
immediate treatment of his or her wounds.”
When Sgt. Hernández was called up in May, he left behind
his job as a Supervising Fraud Investigator for the Human Resources
Administration and his union, Social Service Employees Union
Local 371. On Mother’s Day weekend, he was sent to the
Army Medical School at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, for a combat
medic refresher course. He headed for Iraq in late September.
His large family will watch the news with apprehension as they
pray for his safe return. Three of his 14 children are still
youngsters, a daughter 9, and two sons, 8 and 7; he has 12 grandchildren.
“You leave everything behind,” he said. “There’s
nothing else you can do. It’s like a big hole in your stomach.”
Born in the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago, Sgt. Hernández
attended Westchester Community College after high school and
studied to be a respiratory therapist. Then he enlisted in the
Army and spent seven years on active duty. He served in Germany
and Korea (in the demilitarized zone in 1980-81) and with the
82nd Airborne Division in Fort Benning, Ga. His last tour was
with the 101st Airborne at Fort Campbell, Ky., where he was
in the Rapid Deployment Unit. “We had to be ready to be
at a war zone within hours.”
Thinking of his family, he left the military in 1986. “If
you die in the military, your family has to leave the military
housing immediately,” he explained. He completed his education
at John Jay College and went to work for the city in April 1989.
But the lure of the military was strong. After a five-year break
from active service, he volunteered for the National Guard,
joining the Fighting 69th. On 9/11, his unit was called to serve
as first responders at the World Trade Center, at West Point,
guarding bridges and tunnels, and at the Letterkenny Army Depot
in Chambers-burg, Pa., the home of the Patriot missiles.
Sgt. Hernández will be 58 on Oct. 20. The number of middle-aged
soldiers in the occupation of Iraq is high due to the shrinking
roll of full-time combatants.
Serving his country
The armed forces have reached deep into the Reserves and the
National Guard, where an older generation of warriors train
and serve alongside much younger soldiers.
“I love being around the young people. It keeps me going.
I love being part of it and serving my country,” he said.
Stoically, he summed up his mission in Iraq. “You’re
on patrol with the soldiers and in the front lines. You’re
in danger. It’s your job. You try to get to them as soon
as possible. You stop the bleeding. They’re in shock. You
evacuate them as soon as possible. You are treating them on
the spot. We try to save lives.”
U.S. soldiers in Iraq now wear new equipment to reduce injuries.
Armored vests shield the torso and ballistic helmets improve
head protection. A high percentage of the wounded suffer from
orthopedic injuries.
Specially outfitted surgical teams with modular equipment get
as close to the front as possible. But closer to the front means
closer to danger. That’s where you will find Sgt. Anthony
Hernández as he fights to save the lives of our brave
men and women in uniform.
DC 37
| PUBLIC EMPLOYEE PRESS
| ABOUT | ORGANIZING | NEWSROOM | BENEFITS
| SERVICES | CONTRACTS
| POLITICS | CONTACT US
| SEARCH | 
