Rank/Branch:Spc/Army Unit: 507th Maintenance Company, Fort Bliss, Texas
Date of Birth
Home City of Record: Mission, Texas
Date of Loss: 23 March 2003
Country of Loss: Iraq
Loss Coordinates:An Nasiriyah
Status: POW/Iraq
Category:
Acft/Vehicle/Ground: Convoy
Personnel in Incident: Army Chief Warrant Officer Johnny Villareal Mata, 35, El Paso, Texas, Army Master Sgt. Robert J. Dowdy, 38, Cleveland, Army Sgt. James Riley, 31, Pennsauken; N.J., Army Sgt. Donald Walters, 33, Salem, Ore., Army Spc. James Kiehl, 22, Comfort, Texas, Army Pvt. Brandon Sloan, 19, Bedford Heights, Ohio, Spc. Edgar Hernandez, 21, of Mission, Texas, Army Pfc Jessica Lynch, 19, of Palestine, West Virginia, Army Spc. Joseph Hudson, 23, Alamogordo, N.M., Army Spc. Shoshana Johnson, 30, Fort Bliss, Texas, Army Pfc. Patrick Miller, 23, Park City, Kan,, Army Pvt. Ruben Estrella-Soto, 18, El Paso, Texas.
Source: Compiled by Last Firebase Veterans Archives Project from one or more of the following: raw data from U.S. Government agency sources, correspondence with POW/MIA families, published sources, interviews.
Date Updated: March 29, 2003
REMARKS:
Spc. Edgar Hernandez was among a dozen soldiers with a U.S. Army supply convoy who are now listed missing in action or prisoners of war. Hernandez's convoy was ambushed March 23 by Iraqi soldiers near An Nasiriyah when it took a wrong turn.
There has been bitter fighting around Nasiriyah, a vital crossing point of the River Euphrates about 225 miles southeast of Baghdad.
Family members have identified five POWs after Iraqi television video showed the captured soldiers who range in age from 19 to 31.
Spc. was identified as one of the video taped prisoners of war.
The five identified are Spc. Edgar Hernandez, 21, of Mission, Texas; Spc. Joseph Hudson, 23, of Alamogordo, N.M.; Spc. Shoshanna Johnson, 30, of Medina, Texas; Pfc. Patrick Miller, 23, of Valley Center, Kan., and Sgt. James Riley, 31, Pennsauken, N.J.
They were all trained at Fort Bliss as a support unit to supply mechanics to repair the Patriot missile trucks based at the Texas army post.
Fort Bliss is about 600 miles west of Fort Hood.
Spc. Hernandez was a truck driver for the 507th. He is originally from the South Texas town of Mission, where his family waits and prays for his safe return. Joel Hernandez says military and city police officers arrived at his family's home to confirm that Edgar is being held captive. Joel says his brother looked scared on the Iraqi TV videotape, and pointed out that it appears he has a number of bruises on his face. "His job really is not that dangerous," says Joel, "but once you're out there anything you do is dangerous I guess." Relatives said Hernandez is interested in going into law enforcement, perhaps with the border patrol, when he leaves the service. Maria de la Luz Hernandez says her son should have faith in God. She's hoping for his safe release.
