Photo By Spc. Karla Elliott | Lt. Col. Michael Travaglione, a chaplain with Multi-National Corps - Iraq, attached to...... read more read more
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By Spc. Karla P. Elliott
14th Public Affairs Detachment
With thousands of Soldiers going outside the wire, day in and day out, as part of their jobs, exposing themselves to danger is inevitable. For some time now, improvised explosive device detonations have taken many Soldiers out of the fight. But, because of this, the technology of armored vehicles has improved tremendously and has, in return, saved many service members from injuries.
One of these Soldiers was Lt. Col. Michael Travaglione, a Catholic chaplain attached to 1st Armored Division.
During one of his many visits to the different forward operating bases around the Salah ad Din Province, Iraq, the vehicle in which Travaglione was traveling struck an IED.
"We were going to [Patrol Base] Woodcock and we were the lead HMMWV," Travaglione, a Boston native, said.
"HMMWVs are stronger now than they were when I first came, so the body of the HMMWV took all the shrapnel," he continued.
"After the incident happened, we got out of the truck, and we were all covered in dust," said Sgt. Hope Daniels, a chaplain's assistant with 15th Regimental Signal Brigade, attached to 1st Armored Division, who was with Travaglione that day.
"Chaplain T was like 'Wow, that was exciting!' with a big smile on his face," she continued. "I was worked up, but I laughed."
Travaglione said that aside from the smoke and the loud noise, everyone in the vehicle survived.
"God had his reasons for everyone surviving in the vehicle [that day]," he said.
Three weeks after the incident in July, Chaplain Travaglione received his combat action badge.
"Awards are great, medals are great, but that's not the reason why I'm here," Travaglione said. "I came in as a chaplain, more specifically as a Catholic priest, for the Soldiers."
Although the incident was frightening, the chaplain and his assistant continue to do their jobs and provide religious support to Soldiers outside Contingency Operating Base Speicher.
"I do not hesitate to leave the COB because I know that Soldiers outside need to see us, I just pray that God keeps all of us safe," Daniels, a Magnolia, Texas, native, said. "And God has done just that."
"Since the attack, it makes me even more adamant to go out," Travaglione said. "I will not let anybody stop me from doing my mission. I'm in the grace of God and I have no fear to go out, none what so ever."
But this has not been the first time the chaplain has faced danger in Iraq.
"When I was with 1st Infantry Division, we went to town hall meeting and got rocketed," he said. "It turned into a firefight, and we missed being killed just barely."
After his 12-month tour in Iraq, Travaglione plans to take a break and continue his mission in Afghanistan.
After serving more than 25 years in the military and 13 more as a Franciscan Catholic priest before that, Travaglione has no plans of slowing down.
"I've always said this: if something is going to happen to me, I would rather have it happen to me with my boots on than sitting in a hospital with tubes up my nose," the chaplain said.
| Date Taken: | 09.27.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 09.27.2008 14:22 |
| Story ID: | 24223 |
| Location: | IQ |
| Web Views: | 400 |
| Downloads: | 174 |
This work, 1st AD chaplain continues mission after IED attack, by SPC Karla Elliott, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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