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Latina Letters
From the Front!
I can’t feel my
toes. I can feel
the coldness
seeping through
my bones. My
legs are stiff;
my hands are
freezing in my
gloves. “Stay
focus and scan
your sector.” I
grab my night
vision goggles,
the night turns
into day once I
look into them.
Nothing….Good
God it’s cold,
only a couple
more hours, mind
over matter.
This is how I
spent my first
night on Tower
guard in Iraq.
My name is CPL
Celestina Torres
Rudziewicz and
for the past
nine months I
have been
deployed to
Joint Base Balad
with the 673rd
Medical Company
(DS). Joint Base
Balad was
formerly known
as Balad Air
Base and
Logistics
Support Area
Anaconda. LSA
Anaconda is one
of the largest
American
military bases
in Iraq and was
formerly known
as Al-Bakir Air
Base.
My military
Occupational
Specialty (MOS)
is a 68E, dental
assistant. I
have served in
the United
States Army for
five years. I
have a secondary
MOS 25B,
Computer
Information
Analyst. While
in Iraq I have
been utilized in
both fields and
I’m very proud
that I can help
accomplish the
mission because
of my dual
training. As a
dental assistant
my mission is to
help provide
world class care
to our soldiers.
If they are in
pain we take
away that pain.
I am proud that
for a brief
moment I can
provide comfort,
compassion, and
a smile at my
fellow soldier’s
chair side.
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CPL Celestina
Torres
Rudziewicz at
the Gate |
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To
make them laugh and
forget that they have a
mission in a couple of
hours, it’s a good
feeling. I’m proud that
I can help my fellow
Soldiers either by
pulling Tower guard or
assisting chair side at
the dental clinic.
The dental company is a
Combat Service Support
Unit, you might think we
would be in a nice, safe
environment, but you
would be wrong. In this
war zone, there are no
front lines. Conflict
exists everywhere and we
are all exposed to
danger in different
degrees. The scariest
thing here at Joint Base
Balad (JBB) is the
frequency of indirect
fire attacks. Balad has
the nickname of “Mortaritaville’.
That should tell you how
often they occur. My
first experience with an
attack was the most
frightening for me.
While a group of us were
leaving the Post
Exchange (PX), an Alarm
Red warning blasted out
of the loudspeakers:
“Red Alert. Red Alert.
Red Alert.” We
immediately hit the
ground and put our hands
over our heads,
interlocking our fingers.
After two minutes, we
got up and ran to the
nearest bunker.
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At work:
CPT
Greeley
and CPL
Torres
working
on a
Sailor
that day |
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After
working
on the
patient... |
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When we got there, it
was already packed with
Soldiers. We worked our
way toward the back and
waited. We could hear
the sound of the C-RAM
gun being fired. When
the mortars impacted or
were hit by defensive
fire the ground
literally shook. We
tried to distract
ourselves by talking
about our plans for the
rest of the day, but we
were still scared. An
hour later (although it
seemed much longer) the”
All Clear” was given.
Coming out of the
bunker, we looked like
so many ants leaving the
ant bed. We continued
our walk back to the
Company HQ to sign in
for personal
accountability. We
didn’t talk about what
had just happened, we
just moved on.
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Team: (left
to right)
MAJ
Stone (Dentist),
SGT
Smith
and CPL
Torres |
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After a
long day:
March
8th |
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The Army has provided
many opportunities for
me, a Latina from a
small South Texas town,
where jobs are scarce
and only pay minimum
wage. Yes, the Army was
an opportunity for me to
support and provide for
my family and shown me a
larger world out there.
The Army has taught me
that I can accomplish
much more than I had
imagined and can
overcome; adapt to any
situation.
I
have met and worked with
many Latina Soldiers. We
are diverse, strong, and
independent. At home, we
have families, we love
to shop, and we love to
look like girls. But
here we are Soldiers,
proud to do our duty. I
am honored and humbled
to serve with my fellow
Latina soldiers. We are
sisters; we are family.
By
CPL Celestina Torres
Rudziewicz, U.S. Army |
