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IMajor
Orlando
Ortega
was
responsible
for
leading
approximately
200
soldiers
in Iraq
as the
commander
of G
Battery
202 Air
Defense
Artillery.
He led
his unit
to
conduct
more
than 650
missions
in
different
parts of
Iraq
without
losing
any
soldiers.
This was
no small
feat,
and
Ortega
will be
the
first to
say that
you can
never
become
too
comfortable.
Sept.
15,
2004,
was a
perfect
case in
point.
The day
started
as a
'routine'
reconnaissance
mission,
and
ended
with two
roadside
bombs
and
ground
combat
operations
against
enemy
forces
that
earned
Ortega
the
Bronze
Star
with
Valor.
"During
this
time
(that he
was in
Iraq),
the main
routes
were
being
heavily
targeted
by
insurgents,"
says
Ortega
as he
begins
recounting
the
incident.
The 7
a.m.
mission
for the
six
vehicle
convoy
and 30
soldiers
was to
recon
new
routes
to move
the
brigade
south to
Kuwait
in the
upcoming
year.
"It took
17 hours
from
start to
finish
with
several
stops to
refuel.
The trip
south
towards
Kuwait
was very
long
with few
a
roadside
bombs
and
sniper
attacks,"
Ortega
continued..
"The
return
trip was
a
different
story...we
were
southeast
of
Baghdad
returning
to our
forward
operating
base in
the
north. A
loud
roadside
bomb
exploded
and my
vehicle
stopped,"
Ortega
continued.
What
happened
next
seemed
to
happen
in slow
motion.
Immediately,
I
checked
my legs
to
ensure
they
were
intact."
"My
driver
was
slumped
over the
steering
wheel
and the
passengers
in the
rear
were
stunned.
We
received
small
arms
fire
from the
second
and
third
floor of
a
building
on our
right."
When
asked
about
the
condition
of his
troops,
Ortega
said no
one was
seriously
injured.
Everyone
was just
stunned
by the
impact.
When
they got
their
bearings,
they
discovered
they
were in
a kill
zone and
7-10
insurgents
armed
with
AK47
were in
and
around a
three-story
building.
Still in
the
midst of
the kill
zone,
Ortega
guided
the
convoy
forward
about
100-150
meters.
Then the
insurgents
attacked
the last
vehicle
of the
convoy
as their
target
"After a
split
second
of
weighing
my
options
I
decided
to
conduct
a
counter
attack,"
said
Ortega.
"It was
an
extremely
difficult
decision
to make
knowing
the
threat
to my
soldiers'
lives."
However,
the last
vehicle
was
being
pounded,
even
though
they
persevered
returning
fire.
Once
clear of
the
ambush
site,
Ortega
successfully
led the
convoy
in two
counter-attacks,
each
time
employing
accurate
and
deadly
fire as
he
maneuvered
the
convoy
to
engage
the
enemy.
According
to the
award
citation,
Ortega
"successfully
defeated
the
anti-Iraqi
forces
with no
friendly
casualties
or major
equipment
damage."
"Within
48 hours
my
soldiers
were
back on
new
missions.
Incidents
like
this one
occur
every
day in
Iraq but
go
untold,"
concluded
Ortega.
His
heroism
and
dedication
to his
fellow
soldiers
on the
battlefield
upholds
the
finest
traditions
of
military
service,
the
citation
reads.
Reflecting
on his
troops,
Ortega
said,
"The
U.S.
should
be proud
of the
soldiers
that
defend
our
country
every
day."
Photo and information courtesy
of US
Army /
Dept. of
Defense |
