Diverse infantry company is like mini U.N.

Photo By Sgt. Matthew Wester | Sgt. Andy B. Vinh, a team leader for 2nd Platoon, B Company, 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 29th Infantry Division, Maryland National Guard, loads a .50 caliber machine gun before a patrol near Taji, Iraq. Vinh was born in Vietnam. His family immigrated to Silver Spring, Md., when he was an infant on one of the last planes out of Vietnam as Saigon was being overrun. He is one of several foreign-born Soldiers serving together in the unit.  

TAJI, IRAQ

11.07.2005

Courtesy Story

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Sgt. Matthew Wester
3/1 AD PAO

CAMP TAJI, Iraq -- Troops who patrol Iraqi streets encounter a different culture every time they leave their base -- exotic customs, food and languages are the norm.

However, one infantry company here doesn't have to leave the wire to experience different cultures or languages. All they have to do is spend some time with their fellow Soldiers.

There are immigrants from 13 countries serving in B Company, 1st Battalion, 115th Infantry Regiment, 29th Infantry Division. The Maryland National Guard unit works with 2nd Battalion, 70th Armored Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 1st Armored Division.

"In our company, we have Soldiers from all over the world," said 1st Lt. Michael Kirtland, platoon leader for B Company's 1st Platoon. "In my platoon alone, we have guys from Jamaica, El Salvador, Germany, Sri Lanka and Korea.

"It's educational serving with men from all over," he added. "You get to learn many things about all the different cultures. It's almost like a U.N. meeting."

The troops are constantly exchanging information about their native customs and look forward to learning more about other parts of the world.

"I've been to some of (the other Soldiers') homes and they are different from mine," said Pfc. Enoc Cabezas, an infantryman for B Co. from El Salvador. "They live in a different world, but I was excited to get to know the people I was serving with."

"I've always been interested in different cultures," said Spc. Raymond Ritzau, a gunner for B Co., who immigrated to Gaithersburg, Md., from Hamburg, Germany in 1999. "I like different languages. I've tried to learn some Spanish (from the other Soldiers). To me, it's interesting to talk to people from different countries."

The myriad languages spoken in the company have caused some confusion, but also a lot of humor.

Kirtland said during patrols, radio transmissions are sometimes difficult to understand because the different accents of some of the Soldiers make communications a little more challenging.

Although the infantrymen joke around about their differences, when they're patrolling the streets northwest of Baghdad, they work together as a team.

"We just see each other as Soldiers no matter where we come from," Kirtland said. "The guy next to you depends on you, you depend on him."

"We're all Soldiers who are getting along, just working together," Ritzau added.

The foreign-born Soldiers take pride in their adopted country and see military service as a way to show their thanks for the opportunities the U.S. has afforded them.

"A lot of these guys want to return something back to the country that has given them so much," Kirtland said.

"(Military service) was calling my name. It was something I wanted to do," said Cabezas, who grew up amid civil war in El Salvador. "My family looks up to me. They think I'm doing something great for the country."

Deploying to Iraq for Operation Iraqi Freedom 3 has given some of the Soldiers an even greater appreciation for America.

"There are a lot of opportunities in the United States and I plan on staying there for the rest of my life," Ritzau said. "If I can make it safer for me and my family to live there, then I'm proud to do it."

The U.S. government is rewarding that sacrifice. They are allowing immigrant Soldiers who have served in a combat zone for a year to apply for citizenship.

Thirteen Soldiers in B Company are currently applying to become U.S. citizens.

"They feel like America is their home, it is their country," Kirtland said. "We're a country of immigrants. When you see a military unit of immigrants fighting for that country, you're seeing that representation.

"We're showing the world that there is a place where people with different cultures, backgrounds and religions can get along," he added.

• Date Taken: 11.07.2005
• Date Posted: 11.07.2005 16:20
• Story ID: 3637
• Location: TAJI, IQ