'We've been training for this, let's go'

Marine Capt. Armando Espinoza faced the prospect of going to a hot landing zone with no combat aircraft escort and only minimal weapons aboard the two CH-46 Sea Knight helicopters in his section.

But he knew wounded Marines needed to be evacuated.

So he turned to his crew and said he was going in, but that he would drop off anyone who did not want to go.

Then he asked, “Who’s with me?”

“The answer I got from everybody is what I expected: ‘Hey sir, we’ve been training for this; let’s go,’ ” said Espinoza, 38.

It was about 4 a.m. on April 10, 2003, when Espinoza was ordered to take off to pick up the wounded Marines.

At the time, Espinoza, who immigrated to the United States from Mexico when he was 2 years old, was with Marine Medium Marine Helicopter Squadron 268, known as the Red Dragons.

Because his section leader was having problems with his radio and navigation equipment, Espinoza took the lead for the operation after the two helicopters took off, he said.

That meant it was his job to work the radio to try to call in for combat escorts, Espinoza said.

After being told none were available, Espinoza spied some Cobra helicopters and asked if they could tag along.

But Espinoza said the Cobra leader told him, “I’d love to join you, but I’m out of gas and I have no bullets.”

The two helicopters went on to the landing zone, and Espinoza’s helicopter took sniper fire, he said.

Marines on the ground and a door gunner from the other helicopter provided suppressing fire while Espinoza’s helicopter took on wounded Marines.

After dropping the wounded Marines at a fleet surgical center south of Baghdad, Espinoza and the other helicopter on his section were ordered to return to the landing zone to pick up more casualties, he said.

On the way back, Espinoza could see that “all hell is breaking loose” below in Baghdad, he said.

The two helicopters again picked up casualties at the landing zone, but it was not long after taking off that they received a call of even more casualties that needed to be evacuated.

So Espinoza decided to break off and return to the landing zone — unescorted and alone.

“That’s a questionable tactic,” he said.

But Espinoza made it back to the landing zone and took on more casualties.

As his helicopter started taking off, Espinoza asked a corpsman how the patients were doing.

“He said calmly, ‘Sir, they’re doing fine. Just fly the [expletive] plane,’ ” Espinoza said.

Afterward, it became clear Espinoza’s helicopter had gone too far to the east and accidentally veered over Saddam City, now known as Sadr City.

“It was not a friendly place to be,” he said.

The area was essentially a no-fly zone, but Espinoza’s helicopter took only sporadic fire.

“I think everyone was surprised that we were dumb enough to fly over Sadr City, single-ship,” Espinoza said.

Once again, Espinoza made it back to unload his casualties, and his section went on to fly five missions that day including an impromptu resupply mission after a Marine handed someone in his section the cardboard sleeve for a Meal, Ready to Eat with the message written on it: “Hey, we need ammo resupply, water resupply and we need a fuel tank or an AAV [Amphibious Assault Vehicle].”

By the time his section stood down about 11 p.m. that night, Espinoza had helped evacuate 21 Marines and seven Iraqi civilians who had been caught in the crossfire.

Now a major, Espinoza received the Distinguished Flying Cross with a combat “V” for his actions that day over Baghdad.

Espinoza, who has since rejoined his unit, credits his entire squadron for the day’s accomplishments.

“When I accepted the award, I accepted it for the Red Dragons. I accepted it for the squadron.”