Next weekend’s Memorial Day festivities, at the Kauai Veterans Cemetery in Hanapepe and other places on the island, will hold special meaning for U.S. Army Spc. Belinda Butac, 21. The Kaua‘i High School graduate will bring with her fresh memories
Next weekend’s Memorial Day festivities, at the Kauai Veterans Cemetery in Hanapepe and other places on the island, will hold special meaning for U.S. Army Spc. Belinda Butac, 21.
The Kaua‘i High School graduate will bring with her fresh memories of serving as a sentry at a huge military base in Balad, Iraq.
A member of the Hawaii Army National Guard’s Company A, 29th Support Battalion, Butac serves as a guard at the north gate and, so far, has been spared the mortar attacks and small-arms fire the camp sometimes takes, she said.
While she has seen her fair share of wounded soldiers and civilians come through the gate while she’s been on duty, so far there have been no attacks on the gate during her shifts. “Not that much bad things go on here,” said Butac, adding that she hopes there won’t be any close calls during her shifts.
Medics treat and otherwise help the wounded who appear at the gate, she added, though she has also been trained to render aid if necessary.
While she has heard stories of her post coming under enemy attack, she hasn’t been on duty when such attacks occurred.
The daughter of Carmen and Alfredo Butac of Hanama‘ulu is coming home for two weeks of leave on Monday, May 23, so will be here for the Memorial Day weekend ceremonies.
Butac, who is single, plans to participate in Memorial Day festivities, and likely will receive a hero’s welcome for her service to her town, island, state and country in a war zone.
En route to Iraq, while she and other Kaua‘i members of the Hawaii Army National Guard stopped in Texas and Louisiana earlier this year before flying into Kuwait and then Iraq, Butac and fellow Kaua‘i soldier Gilly Valdez both found out they had been granted U.S. citizenship.
She and other Kaua‘i troops arrived in Iraq on or around Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14, and have been buoyed by the frequent deliveries of care packages, cards, letters, and e-mails of support from friends and family on Kaua‘i and in other places, she said.
“It means a lot, because they really care, and they give me the support that I need.”
Butac checks her e-mail at least twice a day, and calls home every week or two. Usually, the telephone sessions include her mom crying, worrying about her daughter’s safety, which leads to tears from the soldier, too, Belinda Butac said. “But, gotta be strong,” for everyone, she said.
Formerly a worker at the Host Marriott restaurant at Lihu‘e Airport, Butac might make plans to attend college, Kaua‘i Community College or elsewhere, after her deployment ends, she said.
While she admitted there was some surprise when she learned she was to be deployed to Iraq, there was no hesitation. “I was kind of shocked” to learn of the deployment, but “I wanted for go,” to serve her country, she said.
Further, she is prepared to die for her country, if necessary, she said. “If I have to, if that’s what it takes, then I’m willing to do it.”
She concluded with a few words to her loved ones on Kaua‘i: “I miss them and I love them, and I’ll be coming home.”
- Paul C. Curtis, associate editor, may be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 224) or pcurtis@pulitzer.net.
