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Local sailor reflects on heat, improvised bombs and service in Iraq

Monday, November 26, 2007

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By CARLOS VILLATORO
Napa Valley Register

7 p.m.As a member of the U.S. Navy serving in Iraq, 22-year-old Manuel Figueroa’s job was to defend convoys as they transported food, tools and supplies from Al Taqaddum Airbase, approximately 45 miles from Baghdad, to nearby troops.

The trips took eight hours or more and were often tense. Figueroa, an equipment operator, and his fellow sailors often found improvised explosive devices along the roadsides. The convoys would stop for three hours or more to allow teams to remove the bombs.

Figueroa, who returned from his tour of duty in Iraq on Oct. 10, took a less stressful eight-hour drive Wednesday from Port Hueneme in Ventura County to his home in south Napa. He spent Thanksgiving with his family.

The trip through the California countryside was a salve, said Figueroa. In Iraq, he said, “you think about all the stuff you are going to do when you get back home. It was just good driving back.”

Figueroa — the third of four children born to Max and Salud Figueroa — joined the Navy after graduating from Napa High School in 2003. Then 17, Figueroa was sent to basic training at Naval Station Great Lakes in North Chicago, Ill.

“From when I was small, I always looked up to (the military) for some reason,” he said. “I just grew up watching G.I. Joe. At 18, I went on my first deployment in Rota, Spain.”

The Navy took Figueroa to Guantanamo Bay, Okinawa and his toughest challenge to date, in Iraq.

“You first get there and you train for it,” he said. “We trained for a year and a half before deployment. For the first month when we were out there, the heat gets to you. You are kind of scared (and) you are kind of hoping your training pays off if something happens. So yeah, it’s kind of brutal.”

Although Figueroa didn’t have to use his combat skills, he said his convoy often saw bullets fly by from snipers.

“We never really had to fight back, it was just, ‘Hit the gas and let’s get out of here,’” Figueroa said. “We’d find three to four (Improvised Explosive Devises) a month.”

Even though Figueroa got out of Iraq in one piece, it was tough for Salud and Max Figueroa to know that their son was serving in a war zone.

“We were very worried for him,” Salud Figueroa said.

But after each of Figueroa’s phone calls home, his mom and dad said they felt a wave of relief. They were even more relieved when their son returned for the holidays.

“We are very proud of our son,” said Max Figueroa, a vineyard manager and longtime employee at Robert Mondavi Winery.

Life in Napa

When Figueroa wasn’t studying at Napa High School or spending time with family, he was learning traditional Mexican dance moves with Napa Valley College’s Ballet Folklorico.

Figueroa, soft-spoken and polite, said dancing with the troupe did more than show him some interesting steps. It also helped him stay away from negative influences.

“Some kids, I think, grow up looking at what they are going to do tomorrow, but not later on,” he said.

What’s next for the young Navy man?

Figueroa returned to Ventura County on Sunday and plans to serve his remaining three years in the service teaching fellow sailors the skills he learned. He plans to return to Napa in December and spend Christmas with his family.

Figueroa said he’s not bound to return to Iraq, but can serve the remainder of his stint at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

4 comment(s)

JimClark wrote on Nov 27, 2007 3:46 AM:

" Welcome home Manuel. I'm sure you had a great Thanksgiving with friends and family. I can't help but think of the other fine men and women who also come home from their service to this country. Us veteran's may not have the pride as parents and family have but none the less we are proud of you in our own way. Have a Merry Christmas. "

Exasperated wrote on Nov 27, 2007 7:23 AM:

" Welcome home, Manuel! Thank you for all you did for our country! "

Paul wrote on Nov 27, 2007 10:52 AM:

" Manuel, My family and I thank you from the bottom of our hearts for helping defend our country in this time of war! Your parents raised a wonderful son and a great American. "

russ wrote on Nov 27, 2007 9:08 PM:

" A patriotic American, thanks, we need more fine young men like you. "

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