Story and photo by Spc. Alex Licea
CFLCC Public Affairs Office
Camp New York, Kuwait- Injured by the shrapnel of an enemy grenade, a Solider collects himself and notices his buddies are down. He rushes to protect them, firing round after round at his attackers as bullets punch into the walls around him. If he and his friends are to live, there's nothing he can do but continue to fight alone and wait for reinforcements.
This was the situation Sgt. Benny Alicea -- then Spc. Alicea -- faced during a battle in Fallujah in November 2004.
"It came as a complete surprised to us," he said. "In a matter of seconds our world changed."
Alicea's actions that day earned him the Silver Star, just one of the many awards he earned during his year in Iraq. He also received two Purple Hearts and two Army Commendation Medals -- one with a V device for valor in another battle.
In the early hours of Nov. 13, 2004, coalition troops were preparing to hammer the insurgent stronghold of Fallujah.
Members of A Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Infantry, 1st Cavalry Division were there to take part in Operation Phantom Fury, which aimed to bring the rogue city under coalition control.
As the sun rose over Fallujah, insurgents operating from a complex of houses fired on the company's 1st platoon. The platoon returned fire from their Bradley Fighting Vehicles and began clearing the complex to secure the area.
"We dismounted, and my heart was pumping as we started firing and catching a
whole lot of insurgents," Alicea said. "At that point, I was feeling pretty good about the situation."
The company detained 20 suspected insurgents and also found a cache of weapons and ammunition. As the Soldiers dealt with the detainees, another group of insurgents attacked the troops from a nearby house. Alicea's squad got the order to eliminate the new threat.
One of his buddies kicked in the door and threw two grenades into the house. After those detonated, the squad moved into the room to find only debris. The squad moved into the room and with a growing sense of anxiety, the Soldiers headed toward a door on the opposite side of the room.
"For some strange reason, we all felt like something was about to happen," said
Alicea. "Instead of rushing into the room, we were all cautious."
In an instant, bullets punctured the calm, justifying their unease.
"The door was not even fully open when a hailstorm of bullets started coming out," Alicea said. "It was chaotic, and I felt the rounds passing by me."
"We didn't realize how many people were in there until they started shooting and we heard their voices."
The squad found itself battling 15 insurgents. Bullets and debris flew everywhere as both sides suffered casualties. Fragments from two enemy grenades caught Alicea in the hip and buttocks.
As the squad backed out of the house, Alicea laid down suppressive fire before falling to the ground in pain. Three of his comrades were also injured, and Alicea positioned himself to protect them.
"I just loaded my weapon and kept on firing as I was staying around my brothers to protect them," said Alicea. "At this point, in my mind I felt like I was going to die."
Alicea was running out of ammunition when a Bradley came to rescue him and the other wounded Soldiers.
With the skirmish over, Alicea helped load the wounded into vehicles, ignoring his own pain. The three Soldiers Alicea protected all suffered severe wounds. One of those Soldiers, Spc. Jose Velez, didn't survive.
Despite his heroism, Alicea remains humble about his actions. According to his friends and fellow Soldiers, that attitude describes the type of person he is.
"Alicea doesn't like to take credit or boast about the actions he performed," said Staff Sgt. Carlos Santillana, a squad leader in Alpha Company's third platoon. "He is the definition of selfless."
1st. Lt. Daniel Kilgore, leader of A Company's third platoon, called Alicea a true leader. He goes beyond his role as a team leader to make sure the job gets done, said Kilgore.
While he is proud of what he did to earn the Silver Star, the award also brought back the harsh memories of a fallen friend.
"It is an honor to get it, but the award also reminds me of Velez a lot," he said, his
eyes welling up with tears.
Now in Kuwait, the first stop on his way home, Alicea prepares for his return to Fort Hood, Texas. He looks forward to spending time with his wife, organizing his life and thinking about the future.
"I appreciate life a lot more," he said. "Some people don't take life seriously until they see someone close to them being picked up off the ground."