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Airman earns Purple Heart on twelfth deployment

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Shawn J. Jones
  • U.S. Air Forces Central Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  The hazards of twelve deployments finally caught up to one 18-year Air Force veteran. 

Tech. Sergeant Jerome S. Baker was awarded a Purple Heart for a wound suffered to his right thigh during a terrorist rocket attack near the U.S. embassy in Baghdad's International Zone March 26. 

Sergeant Baker is a vehicle operator serving as the top noncommissioned officer on the personal security detail for Marine Corp Maj. Gen. Mastin M. Robeson, the deputy chief of staff for Strategy, Plans and Assessments for Multinational Forces--Iraq. 

While Sergeant Baker has spent most his time in the Air Force driving in both combat and in non-threatening environments, his connection with vehicles has now left him with more than 18 years of memories. The projectile that struck his leg was actually a fragment from a sport utility vehicle that was hit by the rocket. The hunk of vehicle caused a two-by-six-inch gash and will leave him with a permanent "X"-shaped scar on the inside of his right leg, approximately half way between his knee and hip. 

While trying to make a repair on one of his security detail's trucks, Sergeant Baker said he heard warning sirens which signal an incoming attack. He and other servicemembers ran for cover within the embassy, but he was hit before he could reach it.
"I heard the frag and the explosion go off around me," he said. "Out of the corner of my eye, I saw something flying through the air - about the size of a small plate - coming at me."
Sergeant Baker said he tried to dodge the projectile, but it moved too fast. He was struck on his leg and fell face-first just five feet from the embassy's doors. Two Soldiers who also worked on personal security details rendered first aid before medical personnel from the embassy took over. 

"The initial pain was like somebody smacked you really hard - a burning sensation like a bad sunburn," he said. "I kind of looked down and saw my whole leg covered in blood and I said, 'Oh, that's not good.'" 

Despite the deep gash, no bones or arteries were affected. After the initial pain, Sergeant Baker said he was able to better evaluate his condition. 

"I knew it wasn't that bad because I could bend my leg and wiggle my toes," he said.
Though his security detail uses sport utility vehicles like the one that was hit, Sergeant Baker said the fragment that struck him wasn't from one of his team's vehicles. 

His vehicles were left untouched by the 16 rockets that bombarded the International Zone Mar. 26, but the sergeant said he's had his share of vehicle-related misfortune so far during his six-month deployment. 

"My vehicle got blown up on Easter Sunday," he said. "I had a rocket land on the dashboard of my truck." 

Sergeant Baker said he was proud to have earned a Purple Heart, but he's not looking for a free ticket home. 

"It'll take a lot more than something like this to send me home," he said. "I've got my guys, my team. They are one person short. They've got a lot more work to do without me. It's not fair to leave my guys hanging like that." 

Though Sergeant Baker's wound will only keep him out of action for about a month, his absence is no small matter for his security team. 

"Tech. Sergeant Baker is a senior member of my PSD team and a great American," General Robeson said. "He keeps me safe, and I have the highest confidence in him. He organizes, manages and trains the team, so having him out is a great loss. We're looking forward to having him back." 

Though this was the first time Sergeant Baker received a significant duty-related injury, he has been through many hazardous circumstances as a vehicle driver and gunner during three deployments to Iraq. He estimates that he's experienced about 100 mortar and rocket attacks, six convoy ambushes, and three close calls with roadside bombs. 

Sergeant Baker said the inherent dangers of his job can be thrilling at times and he feels that the best way he can contribute to the Global War on Terror is by continuing to volunteer for missions that occur "outside the wire" of coalition military installations.
"I think that it's pretty cool that I - an Air Force noncommissioned officer - got a Purple Heart while serving as a bodyguard for Marine Corp general," he said.