Local soldier earns two purple hearts in Iraq war
Guarding convoys, patrolling back streets, and enforcing curfews are part of the daily routine in Iraq for Pfc. Eddy Szymoniak of Millersburg. The young man is no stranger to danger, having seen action on a daily basis. Eddy has been awarded two purple hearts for injuries sustained in combat.
In addition to the rigors of duty and the constant threats, Szymoniak finds time to email friends and family about his experiences.
STAYING in touch via the Internet is a vital aspect to modern warfare, one that his dad, Kenny Szymoniak, finds comforting. “We won’t hear from him for a while and get worried. Then he will write to us and say he is okay, just busy or out in the field,” he explains.
Eddy is stationed near Fallujah, a hotbed of insurgent activity and regular source of violence. He explained in a recent email that most of the provinces in Iraq don’t even have a curfew, but around this region there is a sundown to sunup restriction on towns and villages.
“We occupy the streets here 24/7. You know you want to trust the locals but the guy who waves to you or the one who says he wants to help coalition forces ends up being the guy who just planted an IED along side the road,” he wrote.
IED stands for Improvised Explosive Device. The former Iraqi military gained substantial experience in the use of these simple but deadly types of weapons. Because of the eight-year Iran/Iraq war and the first Gulf War, Iraq is one of the most heavily mined and booby-trapped countries in the world.
A LOT OF THIS UXO, or Unexploded Ordinance, falls into the hands of insurgents who themselves are often former military soldiers with the technical knowledge on how to construct an IED. Szymoniak says, “It’s so hard to trust anyone over here.”
He talked about when the Iraqi National Guard was supposed to be watching a highway overpass so no IEDs would be planted there. “After we had a number of IEDs going off near there we started watching them a lot closer and it wasn’t long before we discovered a wire leading from their bunker right down alongside the on-ramp connected to a bomb,” he said. “We now have complete control of the bridge and no longer rely on the National Guard,” he continued.
He said a number of people want to help but are so scared of reprisals from insurgents. “If the enemy finds out that someone is helping us, they will threaten to kill them and their families. You can’t blame them for not wanting to endanger their families, but we could end this problem over here a lot quicker if the locals who want to help would stand up together.”
ANOTHER PROBLEM is in trying to identify the bad guys. Unless they actually see someone with an IED or pull the trigger, they cannot be distinguished from everyone else in the community.
Their mission is further complicated by the methods of evasion used by the insurgents. “One time my tank had just been relieved and we were on our way back in when just ahead of us we saw a “humvee” get hit by an IED. “As soon as it went off we started scanning for the trigger man. We saw a man kneeling behind a wall, but by the time we could engage we saw that the wall was to a school full of kids. “When he spotted us coming he ran through the scared little kids because he knew we would not fire on them.
That just shows the type of people we are dealing with. They will use women and children all the time for cover. I have learned to never trust anyone except the guys I came over with and to never become complacent,” he said.
He described another incident while on patrol. “As we were doing our usual patrol through the city everything was fine until we came around a corner and had RPGs (rocket propelled grenades) flying overhead and landing in front of the tank. “We had come upon some insurgents planning an ambush. We found all kinds of weapons. I got to hold my first RPG!”
SZYMONIAK was wounded last fall when an IED struck the tank he was in. After some time to mend he was back in the field. Last month a sniper bullet that hit him in the back wounded him again. His flack jacket stopped the bullet but he said it was like getting hit with a baseball bat. Another close call came recently when the tank was damaged by another explosion.
Eddy’s mom, Alice, wrote back to him saying, “Are you some kind of magnet for these things?” She tries to keep a positive attitude and not to worry too much but some days are harder than others. “When I don’t hear from Eddy in a while, it gets real hard. I must say though, having the emails makes it so much more tolerable,” she said.
Eddy is looking forward to coming home to his friends, family and fianc?e. He said he plans to go back to trade school and then join his dad in business. “You know, I always said I wanted to see some action, but now I have seen plenty
“It’s funny talking to people back home, they always ask if I see any action and they seem so pumped about it, just like I was when I first came over and before I got first hand experience. “Some of the stuff I have seen is far worse than any horror movie. This place is so dangerous right now; we are one of the few areas that may not be able to hold elections. Just when we think it might be settling down it gets crazy. “It can be so hard to sleep when you hear mortars landing inside the base and you just pray they don’t hit close.
I have seen my life flash in front of my eyes a few times but I would never take any of this back. I don’t regret volunteering to come over at all but I am finally ready to come home,” he concluded.