Posted on: Friday, June 24, 2005

Purple Heart 'means a lot' to reservist

By Loren Moreno
Advertiser Staff Writer

Spc. Charles Aikala and his Army Reserve unit were sweeping for arms and other explosives in Iraq when a roadside bomb ripped through their humvee, propelling shrapnel into his right arm.

"Everything flashed through my head. I thought of everyone at home," Aikala said of the moments after the May 21 explosion near the village of Yethrib.

Yesterday, Aikala, a member of Company C, 100th Battalion, 442nd Infantry, received his Purple Heart in a ceremony at Fort Shafter Flats for wounds incurred during the action.

None of the other three soldiers in Aikala's unit were injured in the blast.

Aikala, a father of three and a firefighter from American Samoa, is just the second member of his reserve unit to receive the Purple Heart. Nick Tuiolosega's medal was awarded in a ceremony on June 3.

"It really means a lot to me," said Aikala, who has been in the Army Reserves for nine years. He returned to Honolulu on May 29 to undergo skin grafts to repair the gouge on his right arm.

"Right after the blast I thought I was just hurting from the blast, but after, I felt wetness by my elbow," Aikala said. A medic later confirmed that he suffered about a 3-inch gash.

His position as a gunner had left him relatively exposed through a station in the roof of the vehicle while the other members of the unit were shielded within.

Aikala's wife, Maggie, was notified of the injury by an Army official and said she felt helpless. "I was shocked," she said. "No one ever prepares you to hear something like this."

With 23 days left on his medical leave, Aikala said even after his injuries he doesn't regret joining the reserves and wouldn't hesitate to go back to Iraq. He said he would like to go home to Pago Pago for at least a portion of his leave.

Maggie Aikala said she is just happy that she is reunited with her husband and that he's OK.

Aikala's unit will return to Hawai'i in December.

Reach Loren Moreno at lmoreno@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2455.