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The Honolulu Advertiser

Posted on: Friday, April 8, 2005

Troops relive critical firefight in Iraq

By William Cole
Advertiser Military Writer

SCHOFIELD BARRACKS — There were many passages for the 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment "Wolfhounds" over a year of service in Iraq.

During their time there, a sewage system was built in Huwijah, a city of about 80,000 about 40 miles southwest of Kirkuk in the northern tip of the Sunni Triangle.

A new water system now is providing hundreds of thousands of gallons of fresh water every day.

Over a year's time, five soldiers and an American interpreter were killed; more than 75 Purple Hearts were awarded.

But for many of the Schofield soldiers, a year ago yesterday — April 7, 2004 — brought defining moments seared into memory in the snap of bullets, rocket-propelled grenade trails and a day-long firefight that was the biggest for the 25th Infantry Division (Light) in northern Iraq.

On that day, Iraqi insurgents simultaneously fought Americans across Iraq. In Huwijah, demonstrators at a weekly city council meeting melted away to reveal hundreds of heavily-armed fighters.

"It was almost like they tried to launch their Tet Offensive," battalion commander Lt. Col. Scott Leith said in reference to the historic enemy assault in Vietnam in 1968.

Back on the job in Hawai'i after 30 days of block leave, some of the soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry reflected yesterday on that day one year ago.

Staff Sgt. Victor Benavides, 36, has a helmet with a bullet trail burrowed through the Kevlar so close to his head that it burned the leather strap inside.

"It was like somebody just hitting me real hard with a baseball bat," said the New York man, who remembers flying backwards.

"I did the Matrix," Benavides said in a reference to the action movie. "I was actually in the air."

Forty-five seconds later, he figures, he was fighting again.

Sgt. Stan Matlock, 32, a medic from Joplin, Mo., whose nickname was "Papa Doc," received a Bronze Star with Valor after a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) exploded behind him, but he fought on and treated wounded Americans and Iraqis.

Sgt. Roberto Zuniga, 25, of Waco, Texas, saw the first of many insurgents to hoist a rocket-propelled grenade through the scope of his M-14 rifle. "He fell," Zuniga says without too much elaboration.

"Right after that, RPGs started coming overhead. There was a lot of small-arms fire," Zuniga said. "When I look back, I take pride in what we did — how we stopped the anti-coalition forces from trying to take over."

The main firefight lasted from about 10 a.m. until about 4 p.m., and continued sporadically through the rest of the day. About 40 enemy fighters were killed and more than 60 were wounded. By that evening, U.S. forces had 56 detainees.

There were no Schofield fatalities, but there were injuries. A round blew out Sgt. Don Wegesend's elbow. Sgt. Ryan Goede, 22, got hit by shrapnel in the forehead, and was among five of eight soldiers in his squad to be wounded.

It was the Wolfhounds' first lengthy combat test.

"It's amazing what these soldiers can do," said Leith, his voice choking up.

Matlock said, "I saw soldiers get shot and not tell anyone about it because they were afraid they would get taken out of the fight." He also remembers one Schofield soldier who would have dreams at night after the battle and stand up in his bunk in his sleep in a battle stance with a weapon that wasn't there.

Benavides remembers walking along a street and "it was just a wall of lead." Rocket-propelled grenades flew everywhere.

"I appreciate life now more than ever — my wife, my kids, my family," he said.

Reach William Cole at wcole@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-5459.