MUNOZ


 * MUNOZ**

Korina Munoz was born in Newport Beach, California. It was her last couple of weeks of high school, almost graduation. She was nervous to finish school. Korina had a family that loved her and cared for her. Korina had thought about going to war when she was younger, because her older brother had gone to war at that time. She didn’t want to ruin the generation her family had of going to war after high school. But that wasn’t the only reason she went to war, she had dreamed of fighting for her country and be a hero, although she had a fear of dying and not coming back home. All she thought about was her family, what would they do if they got a call saying “She’s not coming back home” …. After a few weeks later she got the “call”. She had to go to war in a week. She didn’t want to go to war that soon. She wanted to enjoy her life for at least a year or two and then go and fight for her country. “I want to be with my family for at least a year or two” … she was sad she didn’t want to go, but she had to, she didn’t want to ruin her family’s generation, she couldn’t. “I would look like a dork if I don’t go” …. Days passed by and she has to go to war already. The next morning she woke up, got all her stuff together ready, and went down stairs. She went to the kitchen to get something to eat and she saw that her brother and parents were waiting for her. They had made breakfast for her. They talked about her coming back home, trying to encourage her. After breakfast she said bye to her brother and got her stuff and got in the car. Her parents drove her to the airport. When he got there her mom started crying, making an ocean out of her tears. She didn’t have a choice she had to go. When she arrives to her station she was scared, she didn’t know what to do now. Her trainer told her that it was going to be hard, especially because she a girl. A few months later, Korina got a letter form her parents. They had told her that they were doing well and that they had just bought a brand new house. Korina started crying, she missed her family a lot. The good thing was that she now knows that her family is doing well. So Korina decided to write back. Dear Mom and Dad They have a new kind of explosive device here that cuts through our armor. In my armor, I am a tight fit in my truck, and as we are driving down the road, I find myself very conscious of where my arms are. These new devices always take off some part of you, usually a leg or two. The other day, a driver lost both legs above the knee and an arm. So, there you are, driving down the road, trying to figure out how to reduce the number of appendages you will lose when the bomb goes off. … I deal routinely with Iraqi leaders who run the gamut: from your favorite third-world general stereotype (we have a 100 percent confession rate!) to others who love to talk about barbecue. Either way, the work load is crushing right now, the days long, and the reward only a promise. -Korina

By Yesenia Munoz

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/070513/21soldier.htm

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/070511/21soldier.emails_2.htm

http://www4.army.mil/ocpa/soldierstories/story.php?story_id_key=9753