Puerto Rican soldiers left this week for the war zone in Afghanistan, where they will serve approximately 9 months.
Those belonging to the 271 Human Resources company of the Caribbean Geographic Command of the Army Reserve left the Luis Muñoz Marín airport and will stop at a mobilization station in the state of Texas, according to a press release.
Soldier Andrés Montijo, a native of the Viví Bajo neighborhood of Utuado, is the youngest of the group, just turned 20 years old three days ago – is already facing a mobilization to a combat area when he has only been a year and a half in the Army Reserve.
“I think I do well serving in uniform. I feel prepared. The training process for this mission was not easy. They were long months of physical preparation, and mentally, and also for the family, ”said also the management student at Ana G. Mendez University in Jayuya.
Meanwhile, Manuel Montijo, the father of the young man, only had words of encouragement for his firstborn.
“I support my son one hundred percent. I was also a military and I know the militia lifestyle and I can tell you that it is something that offers clear advantages to our young people in life. I don’t deny you that this is the sad part that nobody wants to talk about, but that you have to face it. It’s a bit sad because he leaves, but at the same time I am very proud and calm, ”he said.
Soldier Charleen Pacheco, a native of Ponce, also set off in this mobilization, being one of the few times she separates from her ten-year-old daughter, Kendra Dejesus.
“This must be done from the heart. There are people who do not understand our service, because they have not had to live it. This is important. Beyond a job, this is a service lifestyle, ”said the military, who has a bachelor’s degree in History from the Catholic University of Ponce.
For Carlos Pacheco, Charleen’s father, she is achieving a dream that he always wanted to achieve.
“I always wanted to enter the military, but I couldn’t, because the family business depended on me. I think she has made my dream come true. I’m not going, but part of my heart goes with her, ”he said with watery eyes.
The group of soldiers specialized in military postal operations will be responsible for overseeing mail contracts in Afghanistan.
