Four veterans who were wounded while serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom and received Purple Heart medals are serving as "Hearts of Valor" Veteran Grand Marshals of the 2007 VA Veterans Day Parade. They are:
SGT. ROBERT BARTLETT
Robert Bartlett had been in Iraq just five months when he sustained the life-threatening injuries for which he received the Purple Heart. His patrol was on a routine reconnaissance mission showing military presence in the area when he was injured.
Then a Corporal in the U.S. Army, Bartlett was driving through Iraq near southeast Baghdad when an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) exploded through the door of his Humvee and severely damaged his face. Bartlett was given an emergency tracheotomy at the nearest field hospital. In spite of a massive head wound and collapsed lung - and his heart stopping twice during treatment - he fought to stay alive. He is still on active duty and will remain so through the rest of his surgeries, more than 30 in all. He receives ongoing care through the Carl T. Hayden VA Medical Center.
Sgt. Bartlett hopes to return to school soon. He lives in Gilbert.
ERIC CASTRO
Eric Castro lost a leg when his company of Army engineers was ambushed outside of Fallujah. He also had served only about five months at the beginning of the war.
While serving with the 23rd Engineer Company, Castro was in an armored personnel carrier that was ambushed from both sides. His unit fought through the attack and pursued the enemy, but his vehicle was hit with an anti-tank weapon. The hit immediately took off his left leg. A medic kept him from bleeding to death until the situation cooled down enough to evacuate him.
Castro is attending Arizona State University full time, pursuing a degree in engineering. He has a prosthetic leg and receives ongoing care through the Carl T. Hayden VA Medical Center. He lives in Tolleson.
TIM HERNANDEZ
Tim Hernandez, a Cavalry Scout, was wounded twice in Iraq; the second time ending his hopes of an Army career.
A Section Sgt. in charge of a small squad that conducted reconnaissance and search-and-destroy operations, he was first wounded in the leg by an IED. The fragments were removed and he mended at a Combat Support Hospital. He was back with his unit after three months, field bandages and all.
The second time, he was wounded by a white-phosphorous rocket-propelled grenade (RPG). A few of the guys in his squad were in trouble, held back by enemy fire, when he decided to have his unit go back and get them. They got their guys out, along with some intelligence on the enemy, but Hernandez was hit in the face, arm, back and hip. He sustained nerve damage and has been through several surgeries. Having put seven years into the Army at the time, he was disappointed that he could not continue to serve.
In addition to the Purple Heart, Hernandez was awarded the Bronze Star of Valor. He is working, receiving care from the VA Medical Center, and raising a family. He says his kids are thrilled that their dad is being honored as a parade Grand Marshal. He lives near Queen Creek.
BRENT PHILLIPS
Brent Phillips lost the sight in one eye and suffered other wounds when his convoy was attacked by RPGs in Baghdad. A Marine Corporal, Phillips served with the 1st Division Military Police Company in Iraq.
Phillips was in a convoy that had just emptied its diesel fuel at a water treatment plant when it was attacked. Four RPGs hit the lead vehicle, which Phillips was driving. Even as the first one came through the windshield, whizzed past his head and tore his ear in half, Phillips made a desperate move to get his vehicle off the road so the convoy could get out of the kill zone. He was shot in the arm as he climbed out of the vehicle and began shooting back. Phillips’ team commandeered a civilian van and raced past the convoy to get him to the hospital at Camp Dogwood. He suffered a ruptured right globe, and shrapnel in his left eye, in the back of his skull and in his chest and arm, as well as a few chipped teeth. The damage to his eye led him to be the first in the military, and the youngest person in the country, to receive an experimental prosthetic eye that has enabled him to see when other treatments failed. Phillips lives in Queen Creek.
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Robert Bartlett had been in Iraq just five months when he sustained the life-threatening injuries for which he received the Purple Heart. His patrol was on a routine reconnaissance mission showing military presence in the area when he was injured.
Eric Castro lost a leg when his company of Army engineers was ambushed outside of Fallujah. He also had served only about five months at the beginning of the war.
Tim Hernandez, a Cavalry Scout, was wounded twice in Iraq; the second time ending his hopes of an Army career.
Brent Phillips lost the sight in one eye and suffered other wounds when his convoy was attacked by RPGs in Baghdad. A Marine Corporal, Phillips served with the 1st Division Military Police Company in Iraq.