Utah soldier cherishes U.S. citizenship

Utah National Guard Sgt. Alex Fajardo became a U.S. citizen last November — seven months after returning from dodging al-Qaida rocket attacks in Afghanistan.

Fajardo joined 103 others taking the citizenship oath at the Rose Wagner Theater Nov. 8. He was the only one dressed in a military uniform. The judge asked him to say a few words. He recalled saying what an honor and a privilege it was to be a citizen, a moment he knew early in life would come someday.

"The U.S. is in my heart," he said. "I was proud to serve in the military, to answer the call in time of war."

A native of Honduras, the 34-year-old West Jordan man joined the Guard after living in the United States fewer than three years. He remembers the U.S. military presence in his home country impressing him as a child. He felt like he should "step up and do something" when he moved here.

"I love this country so much," he said.

Fajardo thinks of himself as a citizen-soldier. "But in these days, it's more soldier than citizen."

He spent a year in mountainous Asadabad and Jalalabad near the Pakistani border refueling and re-arming Apache helicopters. The hazardous job — there's always a chance for fire breaking out— is a lot like working for a NASCAR pit crew. "It has to be done in less than five minutes," Fajardo said.

The work schedule was grueling — 12 hours on, 12 hours off every day. "There is no Thanksgiving. There is no Christmas. There is no birthday. Nothing," he said.

Fajardo's assignment on forward arming and refueling bases, or FARBs, some of which he helped build from the ground up, placed him in the path of frequent rocket attacks.

"We had a lot of those hit-and-runs every day, especially at dusk," he said. "We never knew where those rockets were coming from."

Because U.S. troops couldn't pinpoint the locations and because the insurgents fled into Pakistan where they could not be pursued, Fajardo said, Guard troops didn't often return fire. All they could do was wait out the siege, sometimes for hours, in a bunker.

The bunkers were made of prefabricated metal baskets filled with dirt, metal plates and sandbags. As many as 25 soldiers could fit inside a large one. Fajardo said the adrenaline is pumping when the attack starts and troops head for the shelter. But once hunkered down, everyone is mostly quiet.

"It's pretty intense," he said.