It
’s been 15 years since Morgan Hill’s Rick Badillo first set foot
on Iraqi soil. Yesterday, he flew to Virginia for training before
returning to the country he had left decades ago when the Gulf War
concluded. The biggest difference between his two tours in the
troubled country is simple: This ti
me he leaves behind a family.
It’s been 15 years since Morgan Hill’s Rick Badillo first set foot on Iraqi soil.
Yesterday, he flew to Virginia for training before returning to the country he had left decades ago when the Gulf War concluded. The biggest difference between his two tours in the troubled country is simple: This time he leaves behind a family.
When the former Live Oak student arrived during the Gulf War, he was a young, single man in the U.S. Navy. Now, he’s a family man with a wife and two young children.
While Jacquelyn, Badillo’s 2-year-old daughter, doesn’t fully understand what’s going on and why her dad is leaving, 4-year-old Adrian is well aware.
“Out of the blue, Adrian will hug me and say ‘I’m going to miss you daddy,’” Badillo said. “We’ve been preparing him for months. On a weekend once a month, I will go away in my uniform.”
But Monday, Adrian’s daddy went away in his uniform, but it will be months before he returns this time. Badillo said his orders are for one year but he said he could come home sooner or stay as long as two years.
Badillo said he doesn’t know where in Iraq he will be deployed or what his exact role will be. He said his unit has been training for logistical support, but they won’t know their assignment until they arrive in the war-torn country.
Wherever he ends up, Badillo will be able to keep in regular contact with his family, thanks to modern technology. The Badillos had a web camera installed so the children can speak live to their father.
Aside from his family, Badillo will also be leaving behind a contracting business that he said was picking up.
“Most people are leaving jobs behind they can come back to,” Badillo said. “Unfortunately, I’m self-employed. I’ve had to turn work away. I’ll need to hustle before I come back to find customers. When I come back, I want to hit the ground running.”
During his first tour of duty in Iraq, Badillo was on a ship and said the conflict was a welcome change to the monotony of an extended tour at sea.
The young Badillo was gung-ho and eager to please, he said.
“They asked for volunteers and I would say ‘I want to do it,’” Badillo said. “They would tell me ‘You don’t know what the job is.’ And I’d say, ‘I don’t care, I want to do it.’”
Now, Badillo is the one giving out the orders. He will lead 60 people of a combined 180-person squad.
Badillo’s wife Veronica said she knew her husband would eventually go to Iraq but held out hope that he could stay home.
“I always hoped he didn’t have to go,” Veronica said. “It really sunk in when his commanding officer called him.”
Badillo said he hasn’t given much thought to something happening to him and thinks he should be fine, but admitted anything is possible.
“I’m probably not going to be in any danger or combat, but there is always accidents or threats of terrorism,” Badillo said. “We’ve got mixed emotions. I’ll have a job to do, but my family will be home and have time to think about (me over there). But the sooner I leave, the sooner I come back.”
Veronica said family, friends and neighbors have been very supportive.
“There are a lot of good people who care,” Veronica said. “We’ve been very emotional the past few weeks. But we’re going to talk on the phone and see each other on the Internet. I’m going to miss him a lot, but I understand this is his duty. I want time to go by fast and him to be safe.”
Cheeto Barrera is an intern at the Morgan Hill Times. He can be reached at cb******@*************es.com.
