Operation Proper Exit Brings Injured Service Members Back to Iraq

This could help some, just as a trip back to Vietnam has helped some. As long as they are prepared for it not going so well, then it is a good thing to do. What does happen is sometimes the awakening of emotions is just too overwhelming. Some Vietnam veterans have found healing at the Wall but for others, seeing the names caused a deep pain and shock over not being able to "get over it" as well as they thought they had.

Operation Proper Exit Brings Injured Service Members Back to Iraq
109th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
Story by Sgt. Shawn Miller




CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE SPEICHER, Iraq – Carlos Ortiz looked out over the blast walls into the desert surrounding Contingency Operating Location Gaine’s Mills, recalling his deployment before he was wounded and had to leave Iraq.

Ortiz, an infantryman, who deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2004, serving as a specialist assigned to 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, “Wolfhounds” of the 25th Infantry Division, accompanied five wounded comrades on a special trip back to Iraq, Dec. 8.

The Troops First Foundation runs Operation Proper Exit, a program bringing former warriors back to Iraq to provide wounded veterans an opportunity to gain closure, allowing the former soldiers to leave Iraq – this time on their own terms.

Maj. Gen. David G. Perkins, commanding general of the 4th Infantry Division and U.S. Division-North, invited the service members to the division headquarters located at Contingency Operating Base Speicher for a small ceremony before their tour.

“When you go around today, hopefully you see huge progress from when you were last here,” said Perkins, noting that the progress made in Iraq was due in large part to America’s veterans.

“Our goal here in U.S. Division-North is to make sure that your legacy is not lost,” he continued. “One of my goals and my main vision is that we leave this in a manner that makes sure your sacrifice was worth it.”

After meeting with troops from Task Force Ironhorse’s 4th Inf. Div., the former service members flew to COL Gaine’s Mills to see firsthand the changes in Iraq.

For Ortiz and former Spc. Derek Bradshaw, also a wounded veteran of 1st Bn., 27th Inf. Regt., it was a reunion with friends and leaders and a chance to see their old base again.

As the veterans walked the grounds at COL Gaine’s Mills, Ortiz and Bradshaw met fellow comrades from the Wolfhound Battalion, which is currently deployed as part of 2nd Advise and Assist Brigade, 25th Inf. Div.

“I was a little apprehensive at first,” noted Bradshaw, not knowing what to expect upon his return. “I’m handling it a lot better than I was expecting.”

It was the first visit back to the area for Ortiz and Bradshaw since a vehicle rollover during a combat patrol six years ago took them out of the fight.

“It’s a lot of déjà vu,” said Ortiz, who now lives in Phoenix, Ariz.

Much of the base was the same, he noted, although smaller than he remembered.

Since Ortiz’s last deployment to Iraq, U.S. forces’ mission changed from Operation Iraqi Freedom to Operation New Dawn; the forward operating base where Ortiz once conducted combat operations, now a smaller partnered base housing U.S. forces and Iraqi Security Forces.

For the wounded warriors, the trip to Iraq marked another step in the healing process allowing the veterans to come to terms with their experiences.

Rick Kell, executive director of the Troops First Foundation, said the idea for Operation Proper Exit came while he was visiting recovering troops at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Md.

Kell said many of the wounded warriors he met during this time expressed interest in returning to Iraq.

So far, Kell has brought 49 veterans back to Iraq.

“All 49 have experienced something differently – something very personal,” Kell explained. “I will tell you that all 49, in some way, are a little bit better.”

Kell added support for the mission has been outstanding, from the United Service Organizations contributing airfare funding, to the reception that the groups get from military commands serving in Iraq.

“We appreciate the support that we get along the way from all the different commands, because it’s just amazing the welcoming that we get from everyone,” he remarked. “It’s reassuring and it lets you know that you’re doing the right thing, and we want to try to bring more warriors back.”

Crowds of soldiers, including enlisted ranks, sergeants major, unit commanders and generals alike, greeted the veterans with standing ovations at each stop on the tour and took the time to shake hands with them and thank the five soldiers, one airman and one Marine for serving honorably.

“It’s been amazing,” exclaimed Ortiz, who said that the celebrity welcome left him speechless.

Operation Proper Exit achieved its goal, said Bradshaw, in the fact that it let he and the other veterans obtain a little bit of the closure they needed.

“It’s a chance to leave on their own two feet instead of on a stretcher,” he said.

Beyond having those still serving in Iraq expressing their appreciation, Bradshaw said the trip was also a chance for him and his fellow returning troops to give a little back to their friends still here.

For the soldiers that may be battling stress or coping with wounds, Bradshaw offered them a bit of insight from a lesson he has learned well.

“It does take some time,” he explained, “but it does get better.”
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Operation Proper Exit Brings Injured Service Members Back to Iraq