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Chino man awarded Purple Heart after being shot in the shoulder by sniper

Dec- 5-2005 » Filed Under: 172nd SBCT

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Amy Frye, San Bernadino Sun

CHINO -- When Pfc. Jeff Baca of Bravo Company, 117th Infantry Regiment, returned home on Dec. 1 after two months in Iraq, he brought back a Purple Heart and a positive message about the war effort.

"A lot of people don't understand there's a lot of good Iraqi people," Baca said from his Chino home on Friday. "We're trying to reach the younger generation, showing them there is a better way to live so the next generation (of Americans) doesn't have to fight a war again." As a member of the ground infantry in Mosul, the 24-year-old said he would often make raids on homes, kicking down doors in search of an insurgent or cache of weapons.

But just as often, Baca said, he would pass out candy and toys to Iraqi children, who would in return offer thumbs up and peace signs. That's the side of the war story that he said is often ignored.

"They don't show people who are happy to have us there," Jeff said, adding that 75 percent of the Iraqis he encountered were in support of the American soldiers.

The Bacas have been supportive of the war, even before Jeff enlisted in the Army on Sept. 9, 2003. But now that they have an honored veteran in the family, the issue is much more personal.

"It's frustrating for him and us, too, people who don't support the troops," said his older brother, D.J Baca. "People who complain don't know what it's like over there, don't have family over there." [...]


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