For many, it may be hard to
believe that people
volunteer specifically to go
to Iraq, given the known
dangers and hardship. For
Maj. Bonaldo, it was a
question of duty and
service: “I volunteered to
go in part because I had
never deployed before . . .
I felt that I needed to step
up . . . [and] I felt I
could make a difference.”
For the fledgling Iraqi
police force he helped, his
contributions were
invaluable.
In 2006, Bonaldo deployed to
help train and support Iraqi
policemen. As a logistics
military advisor with an
11-man Iraqi police
transition team, it was
Bonaldo's job to advise the
Iraqi national police
leadership on the logistics
of battlefield procedures –
including preparation,
training, and combat
operations. Bonaldo also
served as the logistics
liaison between the national
police and Coalition forces.
During his year in Iraq,
Bonaldo worked from bases in
Baghdad, Kadhimiy, and Taji.
As part of the transition
team, he frequently went out
on missions with the
policemen, oftentimes
encountering enemies who
attacked with IEDs, small
arms, and mortars.
Fortunately, Bonaldo's team
did not lose anyone.
Upon returning to the United
States, Bonaldo said that
“the most gratifying part of
my deployment was receiving
positive feedback from the
Iraqi people for how
grateful they were for the
job we are doing there.”
For his work, Bonaldo
received the Bronze Star in
February 2007.
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