Live Oak graduate Erek Hartsell says farewell to his friends and
family
It was hard for Marylee and Kevin Hartsell to bid their son, Erek, goodbye last Wednesday. After a few more days of training, Erek is headed for Iraq in mid-September.
Erek, a specialist in the U.S. Army, has been back to see his family several times while in training the past two years, but this time, it will be at least a year before Erek sees his family again. He will be shipped off to Iraq on Sept. 13. He surprised his family by coming home this week to celebrate his birthday. He turned 20 years old on Aug. 27.
Erek is the Hartsells’ only living son, so when he told them he wanted to enlist in the military after graduating from high school, both Kevin and Marylee had mixed emotions.
“I was a little apprehensive. I thought of going up on El Toro mountain and protesting so I didn’t have to let him go, but I decided that would be foolish. As long as he feels okay about it, I guess I’m okay with it. He knows he’s got the support of his family here,” his mother Marylee said.
“But joining the army is something I’ve always wanted to do, ever since I can remember,” Erek interjected.
Marylee nodded, and recounted the many times when Erek, in his teens, along with other boys in the neighborhood, would shoot paint balls in the fields behind their home on Sanchez Drive.
“They would all be dressed in camouflage outfits, even our daughter Hailey would be in camouflage out there with them. They would dig holes deep enough for them to hide,” Marylee recalled.
The lure of adventure, seeing the country, and most of all, love of country, is what prompted Erek to join the army after he graduated from Live Oak High School in 2003.
“I want to serve my country. It’s been amazing the many people who have thanked me for doing it,” said Erek.
In October of 2003, Erek underwent 14 weeks of basic training at Fort Benning, GA. Then he was sent to Fort Campbell, KY, where he is currently stationed.
Basic training, according to Erek, was an eye-opener.
“It was stressful and scary at first, especially when the sergeants with their brown hats would start yelling at you. But they train us to deal with the stress and prepare us, because war is stressful,” said Erek.
Erek is assigned to the 3rd Brigade 2nd Battalion/187 infantry regiment, nicknamed “Rakkassan.” At Fort Campbell he was trained in reconnaissance, and as a machine gunner, grenadier, radio telephone operator. Now he belongs to the scouts reconnaissance unit.
The scouts have a most difficult and dangerous task, he explained. In teams of six, these men, along with a sniper team, are the first troops to investigate an area.
“The job can be pretty dangerous, since we have to get in a city first and look around before 164 soldiers from our company enter the place. We need to tell them what to expect,” Erek explained.
Training has been intensive in undisclosed camps around in the country, Erek said, in places that practically duplicate a scene in Iraq, with destroyed vehicles and actual Iraqis in the streets.
“They make it seem as real as possible for us, so we know what to expect when we get there,” he said.
Erek has been training for two years and he said he feels prepared for war.
“They told us we would be going in October last year, but it didn’t happen. We’ve been antsy. We want to go and get the job done.”
The war in Iraq has taken a different turn right now, according to Erek.
“Since the actual war is over, there’s politics involved and a new constitution there. We need to keep the insurgents from uprising and disturbing the peace,” he said.
In many ways, it could be more difficult than the actual war, since soldiers there now are dealing with the unexpected. The morning Erek was scheduled to return to Fort Campbell, at least 640 Shiite Muslim pilgrims were killed in a stampede on a bridge north Baghdad after people panicked when they heard the mosque had been attacked by insurgents and a suicide bomber.
In Iraq, Erek will serve as a scout and radio operator. He has not been told his specific destination in Iraq.
Erek will not only leave his family in Morgan Hill when he heads to war, he will also be leaving his wife, Laura, at Fort Campbell. Laura, a 2004 Live Oak High School graduate, drove across the country to Kentucky to marry Erek last Nov. 12.
Laura, who accompanied Erek home this week, said she is used to Erek’s being gone on training sessions while at Fort Campbell, and while his departure this fall will be especially difficult for her, she said she supports him.
“He had talked about joining the army even before we were married. I’m behind him all the way,” she said.
Whenever Erek comes home to Morgan Hill, his family and friends gather. This includes his grandparents, longtime Morgan Hill residents Sergio and Joyce Jimenez, and his best friends, Erich Fydrych and Pablo Medina.
“They hang out and like to play guitar. It’s their dream to form a group some day when this is all over,” said Marylee.
Until that time, Erek plans to complete his service in the military. He said he has to serve a total of eight years.
“After three years of active duty, I can come home and be on reserve for five years. They can call me any time then, if they need me,” said Erek.
He has no regrets, and believes it is time and he is ready for war in Iraq.
“Everything he’s accomplished, he’s done well. I believe he has the capability of seeing this through too,” Marylee said confidently.
Rose Meily covers City Hall for the Morgan Hill Times. Reach her at 779-4106 ext 201 or by e-mail at [email protected].
