Wounded Warrior News!
Thanks to MRF, Wounded Warrior Project, IRT, Dave Negrete, Ektelon, and Rocky Carson for making this happen!
Michael Anthony Carrasquillo, SGT US Army - Wounded Warrior
HOME of RECORD: Mount Pocono, PA
BRANCH OF SERVICE: United States Army
RANK / MOS: 11B1P Airborne Infantry
DUTY STATIONS / TOUR OF DUTIES : Stationed in Vicenza, Italy. Served in Iraq and injured in Afghanistan
AREA OF RESPONSIBILITIES
While in Afghanistan, the 1st of the 508th Infantry Battalions area of responsibility was the Pactika province. Our primary mission was area denial through the Kungar mountain area of the Afghan/Pakistani border. While there, we conducted numerous air assault operations, ground attack convoys, and general patrol duties from Bandar checkpoint to Bermel forward operations base. Considering our area, we also had to work closely with Afghan national army units and the local police establishment. While combat duties were are primary objective, humanitarian duties were a close second in that some missions were to provide escort for relief supplies, as well as VIP escorts. As a team leader, it was my duty to see to the training of my team and all aspects of their preparation for combat. While also knowing enough about my men to see to their morale, general welfare, and safety.
DECORATIONS/MEDALS/ COMBAT ACTION RIBBONS- Purple Heart Medal
- Afghan Campaign Medal
- Iraqi Campaign Medal
- Army Commendation Medal
- Army Overseas Service Ribbon
- Army service Medal
- Global War On Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
- National Defense Service Medal
- Combat Infantrymans Badge
- Armed Service Bronze Star Medal
- Army Presidential Unit Citation
- Army Valorous Unit Award
- Army Superior Unit Award
WHERE YOU PLAY I currently travel to the Army depot near me. Tobyhanna Army Depot. RACQUETBALL BACKGROUND – What made you start to play racquetball? I have never played the sport of racquetball before my injury. After 2 years of rehab and relative inactivity, I started getting a little flabby. I decided I needed to find something that not only would give me great exercise, but also something I could actually do and do well. It was hard to find something that meshed with the type of injuries I sustained. Racquetball was easy enough for my body to do while hard enough to get great exercise out of it. - When and where did you learn to play racquetball? I've basically taught myself not too long ago. I watched guys play, watched videos online, read some books. But most of my practice comes from playing with my dad. He's learning racquetball with me, but growing up as a kid in NYC he played a lot of hand ball and paddle ball in his days. He finds it pretty similar and has been able to give me pointers while we play. - What is the highlight of your racquetball career in the military? ummm.... How about being able to play after being shot 5 times. I'd say that's a highlight. |
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| - What military racquetball project you would like to see this first year of MRF? Anything that would help promote racquetball within the military. How about some type of Wounded Warrior Tournament? I know the Field Service Coordinator for the Wounded Warrior Project on the east coast. After our interview, I wanted to again thank SGT Carrasquillo for his time and HELP.... He responded, “No, thank you for letting me be a part of this. I joined the Army because I wanted to be a part of something bigger than myself. I thought I lost that when I was injured. Being a part of the Wounded Warrior Project gave me some of that back, and now being asked to be a part of this truly has inspired me. Thanks again. And keep in touch. Oh and I added pics of me since the injury. Some with my wife Jenny.” |
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SGT Carrasquillo – Thank you for serving in the Greatest military. AMERICA owes you, and we at Military Racquetball want to personally thank you for you and your family’s sacrifice to keep Democracy Strong and this Country Free!!
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HMC Jeffrey Hill, USN (RC) Portsmouth, VA 45 y/o 7 years active, 15 years reserves Returned from Afghanistan 15 November 2008 Ektelon Team member Family: Janice Hill, Trey Hill, and Victoria Hill |
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As an IA (Individual Augmentee) deployed to Afghanistan for a one year tour, HMC Jeffrey Hill’s duties consisted mostly of driving, gunning, or as the medic during his 120+ missions while assigned to RPAC West (Regional Police Advisory Command). Other jobs he performed were: mentoring the Afghan Police in combat medicine, medical processing for the Afghan Police Recruits, as well as sick-call for them, and training the Afghan Army Ophthalmologist on the new ophthalmic equipment at the Afghan Army Hospital in Herat. His tour began at Fort Riley, Kansas. For three months, he received intense medical and combat training that would prove handy once he arrived in theater. While going through the training, he thought to himself, “I am supposed to be a medical mentor and I will never use this stuff.” He was totally wrong. He used everything that he was taught while at Fort Riley, and wished he would have paid closer attention to some of the training provided. Other training that he received was, learning to drive armored trucks, call for fire, qualifying on the M9, M4, M240B, M249, and the M2 .50 caliber machine guns, some foreign weapons training, Afghan language training, tactical communication training, high risk personal recovery training, convoy live fire exercise, urban operations, and IED training. Through his training, they never told him about the 110°+ temperatures in Afghanistan – he learned that first-hand. “Before getting recalled to go on this deployment, I don’t remember ever going more than 4 days without playing racquetball in the 15 years of my addiction”, stated HMC Hill. While he was at Fort Riley, he had the chance to play once a week, but while in Afghanistan he only played twice. Both times were when he was at Camp Phoenix on the way in and on the way out of Afghanistan. However as he transited back to the states, while in Kuwait for 5 days, he played 30 games in one day –WoW! HMC went on to say, “It is so nice to see that the military tournament is now a reality. Steven Harper, Russ Bruns, and I have had many conversations about starting a Navy racquetball team and having a big tournament for the military one day. After leaving for Afghanistan in November 2007 I lost contact on regular basis with everyone, so to come back a year later and see that Steven Harper with the MRF help made this happen was totally surprising. Great job everyone!” HMC Hill wanted to close by saying, “I would like to thank everyone for their support while our service members are deployed, a special thanks to my family for supporting me, and thanks for all the heroes that gave the ultimate sacrifice and that I had the pleasure of meeting and serving with HM2 Tony Carbullido USN, SFC David Todd USA, SPC Deon Taylor USA, and LTC James Wiley USA.” |  |
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