The Facts

Firefighters journey to Iraq

By Michael Baker
The Facts

Published May 24, 2004

Clute Assistant Fire Chief JohnRae Vintila is urging as many firefighters as he can to leave Brazoria County.

Here’s the offer: Trade in the steamy, 100-degree Texas summer for, well, 12-hour days in an even hotter climate. It might not sound like much of a bargain, but Vintila himself couldn’t turn it down.

“Everybody says ‘We support the troops,’” he said. “We are getting off our duffs and supporting the troops for real.”

In the next few weeks, Vintila and Holiday Lakes Fire Chief Harold Wayne Douglas will fly separately to Iraq, their new home for at least a year. Through a contracting company, the two will serve as firefighters on one of 23 military bases in the country.

Like Vintila, Douglas said he saw it as his chance to serve his country.

“Ever since Sept. 11, I wanted to go to New York and help,” Douglas said. “This is my way of finally getting to do it.”

The two have made it through a lengthy application process which included a rigorous physical for Vintila, since he is older than 40. Once there, they will be responsible for tending to helicopter crashes, electrical fires in tents or whatever other blazes pop up in the war zone.

They’re not the only firefighters from the county who are making the journey, Vintila said. Jones Creek Fire Chief Daniel Ward already is doing work there, and a Brazoria firefighter is ready for his application process, Vintila said.

For Vintila and Douglas, it means a year away from their family with only a few days of leave, but they said they are prepared. Douglas sat down and discussed it with his family before making a decision, he said.

Douglas has no military experience. Vintila served in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War, although he never traveled to the country. Still, he’s used to long periods away from home.

Fear is not an option, Vintila said. People are surprised when he tells them he’s not scared of going, but Vintila said he’s going into it with respect, not fear, for the situation. Douglas also puts a bright spin on it.

“I’m looking forward to playing in the biggest sandbox in the world,” Douglas said.

There are benefits besides fulfilling a sense of duty, Vintila said. It’s an adventure. It looks great on a resume. And, it brings a volunteer firefighter something he’s never seen for his trade: a healthy paycheck.

“Every one of us takes a chance of dying for free,” he said. “This time, we’re working for money, fighting fires for money and dying for money.”

“Well, you’re not doing that last one,” objected his wife, MaryNell Vintila.

Michael Baker is a reporter for The Facts. Contact him at (979) 237-0150.