Sniper victim builds a new life

A sniper had killed one U.S. soldier and shot at two others, so Enrique Pineda knew the enemy was out there, eager for blood.

"It's a gamble. You throw the dice and you don't know if you are going to crap out," Pineda said of the Baghdad neighborhood he patrolled in late 2006, where distinguishing friend from foe could be the difference between life and death.

Pineda, a specialist with the Army's 10th Mountain Division, had been dispatched with others to investigate an abandoned vehicle they suspected was booby-trapped.

Instead, they were ambushed. A single shot from the sniper's AK-47 blew a hole through Pineda's neck.

An experienced, well-equipped medic was on patrol that day, a variable that Pineda said most certainly saved his life.

"I didn't know what happened. It was like I got punched and there was a ringing in my ears," the 28-year-old said. "I went into shock. ... I could see people's mouths move, but I couldn't hear what they were saying. I thought it was the end right there."

It wasn't the end of everything, but it cut short his second tour of duty in Iraq.

The injury required surgeons to transplant seven inches of artery from Pineda's leg to his neck, and cost him control of his left arm. Still, Pineda considers himself fortunate.

Three of his friends didn't leave Iraq alive, he said. A sniper killed one before Pineda was shot, and improvised explosive devices killed two others after he left. Others deployed with Pineda returned home with head injuries, he said.

After spending months of rehabilitation in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs health system with other injured vets, Pineda is sure other soldiers will spend years battling memories of Iraq and wishing they could forget.

One episode Pineda recalls with vivid detail involved an Iraqi civilian, one of dozens the soldiers took time getting to know in the Baghdad neighborhood assigned them.

One night, Pineda helped raid a home believed to be associated with al-Qaida. When the SWAT-like patrol arrived at 2 a.m., Pineda was shocked to see the destination.

"I was just like, 'We were just at this house yesterday eating with the guy and watching TV,' " he said.

Pineda now lives in North Las Vegas with his wife and child, attends the College of Southern Nevada and collects combat-related special compensation from the VA.

His family lives rent-free in a home provided by a nonprofit agency, Sentinels of Freedom Scholarship Foundation, which is devoted to helping wounded veterans, Pineda said.

Pineda received $11,000 from the VA for a car, and now drives a new sport utility vehicle with its steering wheel adapted to his injury. The license plate identifies him as a U.S. Army retiree and Purple Heart recipient.

Pineda works part-time at the Vet Center, 1919 S. Jones Blvd. in Las Vegas, a VA facility which provides counseling and other services for vets.

He hopes to work for the VA in the future, helping other veterans get the benefits they earned.

"I want to give back to the families (of veterans) because I know what it is like to need some help," Pineda said. "They (the VA) are doing a good job, but when my benefits were explained to me I didn't know where to go. ... I have a buddy with a brain injury and a problem with short-term memory, and he is going to get lost in the sauce (bureaucracy) without some help."

Contact reporter Frank Geary at fgeary @reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0277.