Carlos M. Camacho Rivera
Army Sgt. Camacho-Rivera
of Carolina, Puerto Rico died in the 31st Combat Support Hospital in Baghdad, Iraq, from wounds sustained
earlier that day from a rocket blast in Fallujah, Iraq. Camacho-Rivera was
assigned to the 368th Transportation Company, 11th Transportation Battalion,
Fort Story, Virginia. Died on November 5, 2004.
Rest in Peace
Tuesday,
November 09 2004 @ 10:05 AM EST
Contributed by: tomw DailyPress.com -- A Fort Story soldier died at a military
hospital in Baghdad on Friday of wounds he suffered in a rocket attack in
Fallujah.
Sgt. Carlos M. Camacho-Rivera is Fort Story's first casualty in the war.
The 24-year-old cargo handler, whose parents, wife and child live in Puerto
Rico, deployed to Iraq on Valentine's Day with 250 other soldiers from the 368th
Transportation Company, 11th Transportation Battalion. The unit, which is part
of the Fort Eustis-based 7th Transportation Group, is expected to return home in
about four months.
Mercedes Camacho said from Puerto Rico that in her son's last letter home, "he
said he liked it, everything was OK, everything was calm."
For weeks, more than 10,000 U.S. troops have been getting into position for an
invasion of the insurgent-controlled city, an attack that began Monday.
Because the company falls under the control of another battalion while it's
deployed, Lt. Col. Michael Martin, the 11th Transportation Battalion commander
at Fort Story, couldn't say what Camacho-Rivera was doing near Fallujah other
than that it was"logistical support."
On Friday, according to The Associated Press, Marines who had set up checkpoints
on key roads leading into the city fired on a civilian vehicle that didn't stop.
Insurgents fought back with a rocket attack that killed Camacho-Rivera and
wounded five others.
Natalie Granger, a Fort Story spokeswoman, said no other soldier in
Camacho-Rivera's unit was seriously injured.
U.S. troops entered the outskirts of Fallujah on Monday, taking control of a
hospital and two bridges spanning the Euphrates River.
It was the first stage of the assault, dubbed Operation Phantom Fury by the
military.
The goal is to root out insurgents operating in Fallujah, a city of more than
300,000 about 35 miles west of Baghdad.
The Sunni Muslim city has been controlled by insurgents since April, a month of
high casualty counts, including four Blackwater Security Consulting contractors
who were ambushed, killed and strung from a bridge.
Later that month, the White House halted an organized attack on the city by
Marines.
Because political authority was transferred to the Iraqi government earlier this
summer, U.S. troops couldn't invade the city without permission.
Iraq's interim prime minister, Ayad Allawi, approved the invasion Monday
morning.
"Our condolences go out to Sgt. Camacho-Rivera's family and friends," said
Martin, the battalion commander. "We are a close-knit community at Fort Story,
and the loss is felt throughout the post."
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