LIHU‘E — Make no mistake about it. Given the choice of spending time with his wife and four-month-old daughter or fighting an elusive enemy in Iraq, U.S. Marine Sgt. Tobin Teruya of Kekaha would rather be home with family. But
LIHU‘E — Make no mistake about it. Given the choice of spending time with his wife and four-month-old daughter or fighting an elusive enemy in Iraq, U.S. Marine Sgt. Tobin Teruya of Kekaha would rather be home with family.
But if commander and country called on him to make yet a third trip into the war zone, he’d go, he said yesterday.
“I would go again if they really needed me,” said Teruya, whose plans now include eight more months at Camp Pendleton near San Diego before attending recruiter school. He said, though, there is a chance the next Marine group scheduled to move into Iraq after them might be short of personnel, prompting a call for volunteers then the calling of names if enough volunteers don’t step forward.
He won’t volunteer, but he’ll return to Iraq again if his name is called, he said. A new baby daughter figures heavily into his decision-making processes these days.
Teruya, 21, a 2001 Waimea High School graduate and the son of Penny Kunishige of Kekaha, was in Iraq when Alethea Teruya was born, during one of his two tours that saw him motorcade from Kuwait to Basra and back, and from Kuwait to Fallujah and back, on separate occasions under much different circumstances.
On both occasions, his 1st Marine Expeditionary Force 7th Armor Brigade and 9th Communications Battalion from Camp Pendleton “punched through” from Kuwait into northern Iraq, the first time at the war’s start, joining forces with British troops, the second time more recently. They endured rocket attacks and the threat of improvised explosive devices (IEDs), commonly called “roadside bombs,” whether they traveled by day or night, on both occasions, and he and others were awarded combat action ribbons for their work.
The next time you’re tempted to complain about traffic on the island, consider the road trip Teruya and his mates made twice: three-day journeys from Kuwait City to the heart of the Iraqi hostilities, over roads not as smooth as Kuhio Highway and much more dangerous.
He says from experience that it is more dangerous for soldiers in Iraq now than it was during the opening of the war phase of the engagement. He had some advice for the Kauaians with the Hawaii Army National Guard’s Company A, 2nd Battalion, 299th Infantry Regiment, and other Kaua‘i citizen-soldiers preparing for an early-2005 deployment to Iraq: “Keep your head down, be on point, train hard, and no trust nobody out there.”
While various published reports have talked about the Iraq destination or destinations of the Kaua‘i guardsmen and women, Teruya said things change in war zones, and “it’s really hard to tell where they’re going” to end up.
Signing up with the Marines right out of high school, Teruya credits his Waimea High School ROTC instructors for preparing him for the Marine life he plans on making a career. “They taught me a lot,” he said of Maj. Victor Aguilar and Command Sgt. Maj. Gary K. Nago, the Waimea High ROTC leaders. “It’s all because of ROTC” that he joined the Marines, and was well-prepared for a life that includes stints in combat, Teruya said.
“It’s amazing how fast they grow up,” Aguilar said. “It’s good to see that he’s matured and developed into the man he is today.” Teruya visited Aguilar’s ROTC classroom at Waimea High School while he was home, and received something of a hero’s welcome from the current ROTC students, Aguilar said.
And several of Teruya’s schoolmates from Waimea followed Teruya into the armed forces, either into the Marines or other branches. Andrew Lundgren of Kalaheo is in Afghanistan, and Leighton Amaki of Hanapepe is also on active duty, Teruya said. Byron Vea, Davin Taniguchi and former multi-sport standout Niko Naumu all joined the armed forces after graduating from Waimea High, he said.
American troops continue training lots of Iraqi solders and policemen, and on his latest visit Teruya left optimistic that eventually the Iraqi soldiers and policemen will be able to re-claim their country and shape their own destinies without much American involvement. “They really want to fight,” he said.
Several things keep Teruya going, including the support and prayers from Kauaians and others. He made a special point to thank all of the supporters of the troops: “They’re the reason we’re fighting,” and the support and prayers mean a lot, especially since not everyone supports the U.S. involvement in Iraq, he said.
His service bottom line is shared by many others both in and out of uniform: “I would rather fight there than here.”
Returning to California yesterday were Tobin, wife Almarie and baby Alethea Teruya. Teruya’s mother, Penny Kunishige, plus Almarie’s parents, Alfonso and Julita Mendoza, and grandmother, Rosita Yadao, all of Kekaha, were at Lihu‘e Airport yesterday to see off the Teruya family. Almarie Teruya’s brother, U.S. Air Force Sgt. Alex Mendoza, is stationed on Guam.
Paul C. Curtis, associate editor, may be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 224) or pcurtis@pulitzer.net.
