Wounded Iraq veteran still serves as social worker

The Iraq War left its mark on Chris Guerrero.

Two of them, actually.

The former Army ranger has a scar the size of a quarter under his right knee where a piece of shrapnel ripped through his leg. A jagged scar also cuts across his calf, marking the exit wound.

It goes without saying that he carries some emotional scars with him, too.

Guerrero was just 21 — and already on his second tour of duty in Iraq in 2005 — when the Humvee he, his best friend and six others were riding in was ambushed, hit by a remote-controlled IED.

“I remember a big boom and seeing a cloud,” says Guerrero, 32, who’s originally from Globe. “It was really dark. You could kind of see individual grains of sand and billowing dirt.”

With his ears still ringing, Guerrero hopped out of the truck, weapon in position, to survey the situation. Seeing no signs of the enemy, he jumped back into the Humvee to help his wounded comrades. His buddy, Daniel Torres, was laying on his side.

“He looked like nothing was wrong,” recalls Guerrero, who is married and has a 2-year-old son.

Former Army Ranger Sgt Chris Guerrero, who served two tours in Iraq, keeps a photograph and bracelet of his best friend Sgt Daniel Torres, inside his office. Torres was killed when the Humvee they were traveling in came under attack. Torres, who was one of Guerrero’s team leaders, was killed on February 4, 2005. Guerrero was also wounded in the attack. The photo was taken on Friday, September 25, 2015, in Tucson, Ariz. A.E. Araiza/ Arizona Daily Star

But when he rolled him over, Guerrero saw the fatal head wound. Another soldier also died in the blast. All the survivors were injured.

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Torres’ death hit Guerrero hard.

“The overwhelming sense of responsibility…” Guerrero says, his voice fading.

Always eager, Torres, 22, was the kind of guy who wanted to be the best for those around him.

Guerrero was more than Torres’ squad leader — the two were as close as brothers. Just two weeks earlier, Torres had learned that he was going to be a dad.

It was a lot for Guerrero to process. In fact, he really didn’t until after he’d finished his deployment, returned stateside and decided to talk to a counselor about losing five members of his unit. He talked about his desire to go to college, and the counselor suggested social work.

It clicked.

Guerrero became the first in his family to go to college, earning a master’s degree. He works for the Tucson Vet Center, a program through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and also created a program to stem the tide of domestic violence.

Guerrero says it might sound odd, but his job now is really a lot like what he did in the Army.

“This is the exact same thing I did in the military that I do right now — minus the guns. I help people where they are in life, manage the situations they’re in.

“I see this,” Guerrero says, “as a continuation of my service.”