CSM Martin Barreras, 2/5 Inf., killed in Afghanistan
The Army Times reports that the command sergeant major of 2nd Battalion 5th Infantry, CSM Martin Barreras died from his wounds in Afghanistan while he was being treated at San Antonio Military Medical Center;
Barreras became the top enlisted soldier for 2nd Battalion in March 2013. The unit is part of 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division at Fort Bliss, Texas.
[…]
Following his time with the Ranger Regiment, Barreras was the command sergeant major of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit.
His awards include the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal with V device, Bronze Star with three oak leaf clusters, Purple Heart with one oak leaf cluster, Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters, Joint Service Commendation Medal with one oak leaf cluster, Iraqi Campaign Medal with three stars, Afghanistan Campaign Medal with four stars, Combat Infantryman Badge with one star, Expert Infantryman Badge, Ranger Tab, Master Parachutist Badge with bronze star, Military Freefall Badge and Pathfinder Badge.
CSM Barreras leaves behind a wife two daughters and his son. See, none of my sergeant majors would have been near any place where they would be in danger, so I know Barreras was a good leader compared to the sergeant majors I’ve known.
Category: Blue Skies
RIP!
A soldier and Marine…RIP
Rest In Peace, Fallen Warrior. Enjoy Heaven, you’ve done your time in hell.
Listen up you faker sumbiches; this is someone who was authentic high speed. He did all the shit and endured all the real pain that you motherfuckers brag about doing, but in reality, couldn’t walk a foot in his boots. Yeah, I’m I’m talking about all those poser piles of shit that brag they have 2 stars on their CIB, HALO jumps into alligator pits wearing nothing but a bannana hammock and carrying a K-Bar, being so super secret that the Pentagon hasn’t even heard of them, wearing a uniform and Ranger beret while getting shoehorned into a uniform that’s all sorts of 8tfu.
RIP CSM Barreras. And, to your wife and children; you have my deepest sympathies and respect.
I apologize for my rant, I’m kinda cranky today and will brook no shit.
No apologies necessary with me, Brother. I’m one with your attitude.
Fucking *A* Old Trooper…..
*Fist Bump*
@Old Trooper
You said what we all think every time a poser is exposed for what they are.
Cranky? Hell know, Old Trooper….I think you made a bunch of old military types smile.
*hell know* – no excuse – I had my coffee. Should read HELL NO! lol.
BTW – FoxNews had a nice story on the CSM….referred specifically to the Jessica Lynch (POW) rescue back in 2003.
Jessica Lynch is an ungrateful cunt. She didn’t deserve the attention she received. Her mistakes are what killed 9 of her comrades.
Old Trooper, Sir, You are just expressing what each and every one of us Veterans feel about Stolen Valor…CSM Barreras’ legacy demands we put those Phonies down every time…
As others have said, no apology necessary, Old Trooper. Well done.
Old Trooper, you never have to apologize for being yourself.
This warrior sits at the honor table, waiting for the next call to arms.
Clear skies, gentle breezes and soft landings CSM Barreras.
Prayers out to his family.
Blue skies, Sergeant Major.
This soldier’s soldier succumbed to wounds incurred in battle, fighting alongside his men.
God bless and comfort his family.
Godspeed to you CSM.
Truly an example to be honored and respected for all that he did for his unit and the US Army as a whole.
It is because of men like this that we all continue to walk free and dream of better things to come.
Honor and respect to you and your entire family.
RIP warrior.
But since when do you wear your CIB even with another award? They are different classes right? Never seen that before…
*Not award, badge.
I think the new 670-1 says that you can wear up to 5 qual badges, but not “stacked”, so he may have changed his badges to comply.
CSM Barreras was also one of those who conducted the Jessica Lynch rescue.
Rest in peace, Sergeant Major. Rest in peace.
Yeah, Hondo, I read that and I was saddened that someone thought it important to connect such a distinguished fighting man to that public-relations fiasco. To me, such mention was unnecesary and uncalled for but, to major media (Fox News, for one), I guess it meant something.
Agreed.
Huh. I don’t remember the soldiers who rescued JL being asked if they wanted that action or not. I could be mistaken, though.
They carried out the mission they were sent on. What it was turned into by the media and the politicians is another subject.
Rest in Peace, Fallen Warrior.
Pinto Nag IMO said it well.
The Lynch rescue was a textbook example of how to execute that type of mission. Those who executed it “done good” and are worthy of recognition.
What the media – and DoD – allowed it to be turned into is a completely different issue.
Hondo, I would say that it was not “What the media – and DoD — allowed it to be turned into. The fact is, DoD warned the WP it had the story wrong, repeatedly. They cautioned others as well. It was the media that created the myth, then blamed DoD for what they did. It was literally a case of saying that since DoD did not violate rules, law, and Constitution, it was their fault that the false story was created and spread. There are some very good take downs of what happened, including at least one from an MSM source, out there.
Sorry, Laughing Wolf, but I can’t absolve DoD of all fault in the Lynch brouhaha.
Some of the early Pentagon releases did play up Lynch, erroneously reporting she had been wounded resisting capture. (To its credit, the Pentagon did correct those erroneous original stories after Lynch’s recovery, when she’d been debriefed and had indicated her weapon jammed and she was unable to fight back prior to capture.)
And it wasn’t the media who opted to award Lynch a BSM w/V device for “exemplary courage under fire during combat operations”, either. Lynch’s debriefing and later statements make it clear she was unable to resist and, frankly, didn’t exhibit any great deal of “courage under fire”. She was injured in the wreck of her vehicle, and was unable to resist capture.
Yeah, the media played gender politics with that one bigtime. But DoD’s hands aren’t clean in the matter, either.
And this very discussion rather makes my point. After decades of distinguished service by this Fallen soldier, a lousy tweet or FB message picked up by the media begins to overshadow the real story and reopens old–and inconsequential–debate.
Two separate issues, 2/17 Air Cav – inseparable, unfortunately, as they intersect in the person of CSM Barreras.
As Pinto Nag noted: that day, CSM Barreras executed his assigned mission – and did so in an exemplary fashion. His exemplary role in that picture-perfect operation is worth noting, even if the mission was later co-opted by those wanting to further a political agenda.
Soldiers don’t choose the battle, or write the often-spun stories afterwards seeking to score political points. They thus shouldn’t be held accountable for either.
Meanwhile-almost no one knows who SSG (then SPC) Patrick Miller is http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_Miller_(soldier)
(In now way do I mean to detract from the discussion honoring CSM Berreras, but there is a point in the Jessica Lynch discussion about the power of propaganda and who is remembered for what happened-rightly or wrongly)
No, not all fault and I agree on the BSM and a bit more. However, the general story is that the initial Lynch story was a product of the DoD when it wasn’t and DoD (at least in theatre) fought hard to get good info out despite the WP and other MSM. What came after is another issue and there DoD is far from innocent.
It is sad that the Lynch saga is overshadowing the life and death of a real warrior, and an extremely rare species of leadership — particularly at the CSM level.
Gender politics? Oh, please, Hondo. She was a blue-eyed blonde white girl. That’s all those morons saw.
The media completely ignored the black woman who was also injured and taken prisoner, because she didn’t fit the picture of the delicate female in a macho setting.
Yes, gender politics, Ex-PH2. The media found their “photogenic heroine” of the invasion – whether manufactured or not. And DoD was at least partially complicit in manufacturing that story.
Had Lynch been a male, we’d have heard nary a peep about her. 68W58 provides clear evidence for that with the example of then SPC Miller.
The fact that the media also showed that it’s willing to ignore minorities (they also generally ignored a Native American female who was killed in the same incident) is a separate issue. Both DoD and the media never were really taken to task much for that omission, either.
We have enough examples of true heroism that we don’t need to make them up. We especially don’t need to make up heroes – or heroines – just to score political points.
I have more respect for Lynch and her rescuers than anyone else in this entire situation. Lynch has consistently held that she did nothing heroic, was injured in the crash, and was unable (due to injury and weapons malfunction) to fight back. Her rescuers have kept a low profile befitting their professional status.
I have far less respect for those in DoD and the media who made Lynch out to be some kind of heroine, contrary to facts – and ignored those who truly did perform heroic actions that day and later.
IIRC, four skill badges were authorized in the 2006 version of AR670-1. The reg also allowed them to be arranged in a square if the height of the stack interfered with the wear of the blouse.
The local news did a real nice article on him:
http://www.tucsonnewsnow.com/story/25532710/family-members-and-veterans-honor-fallen-tucson-soldier
The real deal.
…”none of my sergeant majors would have been near any place where they would be in danger…”
I don’t disagree with this, but I think that CSM Barreras was not the “political maneuver” type CSM given his awards. You’re right that too many CSMs are not respected by their troops because the Joes can see that they are mainly out to promote themselves, but I’d bet a month’s pay that that was not true of CSM Barreras.
My first tour in Iraq I had a CSM that never left the wire. All he would do is run around the FOB. He would bring us in to do NCO runs. This was in 2006 when my Brigade was kicking in doors clearing the entire city of Baghdad. Pretty much every single one of us fell out because we were no longer in running shape and he basicaly called us all pieces of shit.
meant to say kicking in doors 12-18 hours a day.
Yeah-I had one like that who was basically doing the FOB mayor job (everybody hated his guts) and another who was essentially worthless (state HQ sent him to us so he could get a deployment before he retired) in Iraq.
But I also had one who was pretty awesome on my last deployment in that he fought for his Joes and tried to understand how he could advocate for us in order to help us execute our mission.
Ughh, I didn’t finish my first post. I’m failing today. My second tour I had a real warrior as my BN CSM. He pretty much lived outside the wire. Rumor had it that he was former Delta. When I asked him about it all he said was “put it this way, I’m mentioned in four books”.
I had a CSM like that in Division. This guy was hard as old folks’ toenails. When he broke your balls (Which was pretty often) he didn’t do it to simply break your balls, he did it to make you a better NCO. Triple H was the MAN.
Thoughts and prayers for the Barreras family, along with our thanks for sharing this man among men with us.
Amen.
This guy had to have been a stud. 22 years in BAT? Just going thru that alone can take some serious fortitude.
Now I want to know what he was doing when he got clipped. I’m sure it wasn’t checking PT belts…
RIP CSM. Heart goes out to his family…
His picture should be put up at the entrance to Army locations world-wide with the caption:
“This is the man you want to be like”.
My deepest condolences to his family, friends and battle buddies. Our nation has lost a great man.
RIP Warrior. Much respect. Prayers for the family you leave behind.
Jessica Lynch is now an elementary school teacher in West Virginia. She acknowledged passing of CSM Barreras in a Tweet.
My thoughts and prayers will be with his family and Unit. His Job on earth is done in he can stand tall and righteous in Heaven.
Evert Time I read or hear about a combat loos I think of the Song Mansions of the Lord.
CSM Barreras was my company first sergeant in 1st Battalion, 75th Rangers. No one and I mean no one was as eager to go on a mission with us as he was. He always chose to go with us into harms way even when he didn’t have to. My heart hurts today knowing I have lost a great friend and mentor and a model American. He should be recommended for the Ranger Hall of Fame based on his leadership on the battlefield and how he bettered the Regiment and Army. God bless your family and may we as a nation take care of them in return for how you took care of us. 2-B PL, OIF 1 and OEF 3&4
what a great tribute. Thanks for posting this, Hooah!
Rest well, CSM.
May God rest in peace this fine man and soldier. God bless and keep his family through this sad time.
A true role model and hero, our country needs more men like this. We are poorer for the loss.
My deepest sympathy to his family, and to those he infuenced.
Prayers up for the SGM and his family.
Rest in peace Sergeant Major. Know my family’s thoughts and prayers are with yours.
Semper fidelis.
Where do we find such men?
What a war fighter.
Rarely do you see the SNCO’s out getting some with the lower enlisted, but when you do you never forget it. This guy’s entire career was about getting some.
A true patriot.
Rest easy. You deserve it.
RIP Warrior,I had met him a few times when i was working in KAF,a really nice guy and always looked out for his boys.sad to see we are still getting killed in this pointless war.
RIP CSM. To all the posers out there, this is how you do it. With honor and without fanfare.
Bummer. Sorry to see this. Sad to see us losing another great guy to this war.
Hand Salute … Ready To.
Blue Skies Brother!
We miss You!
BCT2
Spent over 22 years in the Ranger Regiment. That in itself is a testament to the kind of soldier he was.
Led from the front, wouldn’t ask of his soldiers to do anything he wouldn’t do himself.
RIP warrior.
RIP and thank you, Martin Barreras.
My condolences to his family.
A Real Soldier Died To-Day.
R.I.P, brother.