• Local soldier awarded Bronze Star Medal
By Sarah Steele Wilson
Jan 16, 2012, 18:25
courtesy photo | Lt. Col. Alok Upadhyaya played a critical role while in Iraq.
CHESTERFIELD – Before the United States left Iraq in December, there were a lot of final jobs to get done. It included onstruction projects to rebuild the country's infrastructure, and provide it with the resources needed to move forward.
As a member of a Contingency Response Unit called up to support the United States Army Corps of Engineers in Iraq, Matoaca High School graduate and Chesterfield County resident Lt. Col. Alok Upadhyaya played a critical role in the success of those final projects.
"Part of our mission in Iraq was to rebuild the infrastructure of Iraq," Upadhyaya said. "So my job in particular was managing construction projects. Some of the projects were health clinics, prisons, headquarters for the Iraqi National Army, and headquarters for the Iraqi National Police. We also built a school north of Tikrit."
For his work on those projects, Upadhyaya was awarded the Bronze Star Medal, the fourth highest award the military gives for bravery, heroism or meritorious service. While providing oversight of the projects, and making sure they were completed in a timely manner in accordance with quality standards, Upadhyaya "participated in over 40 'outside the wire' site visits despite the threat posed by insurgent forces to monitor the construction and advance their progress," the narrative accompanying the Bronze Star said.
Upadhyaya said that whenever they left the base, there was a threat of I.E.D. attacks, but he had faith in their private security provider.
"The threat was definitely there, but it wasn't a paralyzing fear," he said.
When Upadhyaya learned he would be receiving the bronze star, about a week before he left Iraq in December, he was surprised because he had been so focused on accomplishing the work.
"I didn't really expect to get the award," he said. "The focus, while I was there, was trying to do the best I could. Being in such an environment where you don't have family, and you don't have anything else to distract, the whole job is to get the job done and then come home. So, it was totally unexpected."
The United States had been in Iraq for eight years by the time Upadhyaya arrived, and he felt like he was there at an "historic moment," managing some of the final construction necessary before leaving the country with their future in their own hands.
"The idea behind these construction projects was to allow the government of Iraq to be self reliant and be an independent, sovereign nation after we leave," he explained.
In addition to the surprise, Upadhyaya said he felt pride at his own accomplishment as well as the accomplishments of his team.
"We were at a time that was considered to be, a historic moment in our relationship with Iraq," he said. "There was definitely a sense of accomplishment and to be recognized for that, it was quite an honor."
Of all the projects he managed while in Iraq, one stands out in Upadhyaya's mind.
"I was proud of the school we built in Iraq," he said. "That was a 32-room school, which kind of symbolizes the whole reason we were there, to provide Iraq an opportunity to self-govern and to be a secure place. And this school will provide that educational opportunity for kids there. So in the long term, it's an investment that we made and hopefully the Iraqi people will take advantage of that."
Upadhyaya moved to Virginia from India when he was ten, living in Petersburg for several years before his family moved to Matoaca.
"From what I can recall, it was a totally different experience because in India, we were living in a small village and then we moved to Petersburg, which at the time seemed like a very big city, looking back at it," he remembered.
He joined the Army through the R.O.T.C. at William and Mary, where he studied economics and political science, choosing to serve because of presidential inspiration.
"It was when President [Ronald] Reagan was in office, and he renewed my sense of patriotism. So, I thought the best way to serve my country was to join the Army," Upadhyaya said.
He now lives in Chesterfield County with his wife Elizabeth, with whom he has two daughters, Kayla, who is a sophomore at the University of Michigan, and Alexandera, who is a junior at Trinity Episcopal School in Richmond.
Upadhyaya is preparing to begin six more months of active duty with the Defense Contract Management Agency at Fort Lee before resuming civilian work with the Defense Logistics Agency in Richmond.
