This is the script from tonight's interview with Corp. Wesley Barrientos. This will be the first, in what we hope will be an ongoing conversation with a solider who made a major sacrifice for his country. Feel free to leave comments and questions in connection with this blog. Corp. Barrientos says he's looking forward to interacting.
TONIGHT WE HAVE SOMETHING SPECIAL TO SHARE WITH YOU. AN ASSIGNMENT TO HELP ALL OF US GAIN A LITTLE MORE PERSPECTIVE INTO THE WAR IN IRAQ.
BACK IN LATE DECEMBER WE TOLD YOU ABOUT A FORMER RIDGEVIEW HIGH GRAD WHO WAS SEVERELY WOUNDED BY A ROADSIDE BOMB IN A HOSTILE AREA OF IRAQ NEAR SCANDARIA.
TOO OFTEN WE HEAR ABOUT OUR OWN KERN COUNTY SOLDIERS ONLY AFTER TRAGEDY STRIKES, MANY TIMES IT'S TOO LATE, SO WE THOUGHT IT IMPORTANT TO TRAVEL TO OUR NATION'S CAPITAL TO BRING YOU THIS SOLDIER'S STORY.
HIS NAME IS WESLEY BARRIENTOS AND WE SHOULD PREFACE THIS STORY BY TELLING YOU THAT THREE DAYS BEFORE OUR INTERVIEW HE HAD SURGERY ON HIS SHATTERED JAW.
SO LISTEN CLOSELY, HIS WORDS SAY A LOT ABOUT THE PRICE HE PAID FOR FREEDOM.
WHEN IT COMES TO AMERICAN HISTORY, WALTER REED ARMY MEDICAL CENTER IS CONSIDERED THE MOST SIGNIFICANT MILITARY TREATMENT FACILITY IN THE UNITED STATES.
SERVING ACTIVE AND RETIRED PERSONNEL FROM ALL BRANCHES OF WAR, INCLUDING THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.
FOR NEARLY 100 YEARS, WALTER REED HAS BEEN THE FIRST STOP FOR THE MILITARY MEN AND WOMEN WOUNDED IN WAR.
Walter reed tends to receive wounded warriors three times a week, said spokeswoman Patricia Cassimatis. "If there is more conflict, we have more wounded and I have to tell you that if only one or two come off the bus we always cheer."
Since the war in Iraq began over 30 thousand soldiers have been brought from germany here to the united states over 7400 have been treated here at walter reed army medical center in washington d.c. One of those arriving on December 24th was corporal wesley barrientos, a graduate from ridgeview High.
I really did it for 9-11," said Army Corp. Wesley Barrientos. "I didn't want to to leave or let someone else just handle it i needed to do something about it too so i enlisted and i went out."
CORPORAL BARRIENTOS WAS ON HIS THIRD TOUR OF DUTY NEAR SCANDARIA, WHEN HE AND HIS UNIT WERE ORDERED TO LEAD THE WAY FOR A COMPANY CHECKING OUT SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY INVOLVING A POSSIBLE VEHICLE BORNE IED OR CAR BOMB.
We were down the road I don't remember the whole incident, this is just what my friends told me what happened," Barrientos recalled. "The first vehicle went through they didn't get hit so we go through and we hit the pressure plate; it was right underneath me."
"I was the worst injured one in the vehicle, the gunner he got some shrapnel between his legs, but he was okay he was able to go back to work the same day," Barrientos continued.
CORPORAL BARRIENTOS WAS NOT OKAY: BOTH OF HIS LEGS WERE RIPPED APART BY THE FORCE OF THE BOMB BURIED BENEATH THAT PRESSURE PLATE IN THE ROAD. A MISSION THAT CHANGED HIS LIFE, BUT, ONE HE DOESN'T REGRET.
"Well I got guys, and I was a leader and as a leader I have to take care of my guys," Barrientos said. "I couldn't leave my guys who trained so hard worked so hard to trai. I couldn't leave those guys to go out there by themselves...i had to go with them."
NOW THE LONG AND CHALLENGING PROCESS OF TREATMENT AND RECOVERY BEGINS.
[CG :AAA NameTitle 1 Line\CAPTAIN KEVIN NICCUM\WRAMC, HEAD NURSE]
"It's an interdisciplinary approach to taking care of these soldiers because you have to look at not only the injury but you know these are young kids going through the grieving process of losing a limb," said Army Nurce Capt.Kevin Niccum. "The family is going through their own process of their son or daughter's injury so it's a multi faceted issue with these soldiers not just the injury themselves."
BARRIENTOS' MOTHER, A SINGLE PARENT DIDN'T THINK TWICE ABOUT CHANGING HER LIFE AS WELL...SHE LEFT HER JOB AND HER HOME HERE IN BAKERSFIELD TO BE WITH HER SON.
[CG :AAA NameTitle 1 Line\ELUBIA BARRIENTOS\MOTHER]
You know this is second, the first is my son," Elubia Barrientos said. "I don't mind if I lose my house, I don't mind i lose everything, I want my son to stay good."
WHEN WE ARRIVE, BARRIENTOS IS JUST THREE DAYS INTO PHYSICAL THERAPY, BUT WE BRING WITH US SOMETHING FROM HOME TO LIFT HIS SPIRITS...
STUDENTS AND TEACHERS FROM RIDGEVIEW HIGH SENDING MESSAGES OF THANKS AND PRIDE TO THE FORMER GRAD... HUNDREDS HOPING TO SHOW THAT THEY KNOW WHAT HE DID FOR THEM.
THERE IS ONE REGRET FOR WESLEY BARRIENTOS, HE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE MARRIED THIS MONTH.
"We got engaged a couple months after we met," Barrientos said. "I got introduced to her by my cousin and after that it was just sparks."
NOW CORPORAL BARRIENTOS COULD ONLY WAIT AND HOPE THAT THE LOSS OF HIS LEGS WOULDN'T CHANGE HIS FIANCE'S DECISION TO MARRY.
COMING UP TOMORROW, WE'LL CONTINUE OUR SOLDIER'S STORY...WE WILL GIVE YOU A RARE LOOK AT THE UNIQUE PROGRAM FOR AMPUTEES AT WALTER REED ARMY MEDICAL CENTER AND TELL YOU WHY THE RATE OF AMPUTEES COMING HOME FROM THE IRAQ WAR IS MORE THAN DOUBLE THAT OF PREVIOUS WARS...OUR 17 NEWS SPECIAL REPORT CONTINUES THURSDAY AT FIVE.
