Marine’s Marine Is a Quiet Hero

CAMP PENDLETON -- Carlos Gomez-Perez was about to be sent to Iraq when he joined more than 200 Marines and sailors earlier this year at Camp Pendleton, where they took the oath of citizenship.

Back from combat, the 21-year-old lance corporal from El Cajon is receiving new praise -- this time for bravery during a fierce firefight.

His heroism has earned Gomez-Perez a nomination for a Silver Star but ended his tour of duty -- at least for now.

Recovering after being shot in the right shoulder and cheek during an encounter with insurgents, Gomez-Perez spoke Wednesday about his combat experience during an interview at Camp Pendleton, where his Marine unit is based.

He downplayed his actions, saying that he was just doing his job, and expressed guilt for leaving Iraq.

“My job was just to throw grenades,” he said.

But the nomination for the Silver Star, the third-highest award for bravery after the Medal of Honor and Navy Cross, says of the Mexican native: His “courage, professionalism and outstanding dedication to duty reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest tradition of the Marine Corps and the U.S. Naval Service.”

The fight that led to a nomination for the Silver Star unfolded last month in the Jolan neighborhood of northwest Fallouja. Insurgents used AK-47s and rocket-propelled grenades to attack Marines clearing a nearby building, with some insurgents coming within 65 feet of the Marines’ position.

“The insurgents were so close to us -- they were next door -- when they threw the grenades, they didn’t bounce, they just landed,” Gomez-Perez said.

After moving wounded platoon members to safety and getting medical care for them, Gomez-Perez rushed to take a rooftop position.

“Braving withering enemy machine and rocket-propelled grenade fire, Lance Cpl. Gomez delivered lethal fire to the enemy,” according to a report included in his nomination.

He was joined on the rooftop by Lance Cpl. Aaron Austin, who was shot in the chest and abdomen as he tried to throw a grenade.

As Gomez-Perez moved to pull Austin to safety, a bullet tore through his cheek and another struck his shoulder.

Still, Gomez-Perez pumped Austin’s chest 10 times, administering CPR, before Austin was moved on a stretcher improvised from a door. Austin later died at a hospital.

Gomez-Perez returned and continued firing until he collapsed. He was pulled to safety and taken to a hospital.

Friends who were in the fight said his actions were to be expected.

“He’s always finding a way to get things done. He’s a quiet guy, not one of those loud guys. He’s terrific,” said Lance Cpl. Garrett Amerine, 23, of Laguna Niguel.

Cpl. Roger Pierce, 24, of East Mesa, Ariz., said: “He has no fear. He’s always looking to help his Marines. I’m not surprised this happened. Nothing could stop him from doing his job. He’s a Marine’s Marine.”

Sitting at a sunlit table Wednesday, Gomez-Perez said he wanted to do more.

“I asked to go back; they won’t let me go back,” he said. “My family is over there.... I felt like a traitor.” Marines, he said, “never leave anyone behind, no matter how bad it is.”

The road that led Gomez-Perez to Iraq began when he was 9 and his family moved to the United States.

He joined the Marines after graduating from Grossmont High School in El Cajon. He had been accepted on the football team at the University of Hawaii but couldn’t afford tuition.

The Marines, he thought, would help further his education.

“The last thing I remember before leaving for boot camp was my son crying and my wife crying and all I could do was say goodbye,” Gomez-Perez said.

Leaving his wife, Samantha Izaguirre-Gomez, and his infant son, Jose Carlos, Gomez-Perez set off for boot camp in 2001.

“As soon as I got to boot camp, the drill instructors are telling you, ‘You know what? You guys are going to war,’ ” he said.

Gomez-Perez said he adopted the makeshift motto: “Push yourself to the limit, and when you break, push yourself some more,” which served him and others well in combat when they watched friends die and had to force themselves on.

Gomez-Perez first arrived in Iraq in March 2003, living for three to four months at a time in fighting holes.

After returning from combat, he applied for a green card and was awarded citizenship under a federal program that assists immigrants in the military.

That was just days before he returned to Iraq. This time, he said, the fighting was different.

People were less friendly and enemies were always nearby.

“They would just pop out of the corner, fire and go away,” Gomez-Perez said.

“I got real upset. You want to come out and fight, [then] come out and fight.”