JOINING the military service, where only the brave and selfless souls exist and thrive, was the dream of Hernando Delfin Carmelo A. Iriberri as a young boy.
He got this by way of the Philippine Military Academy.
But while he accomplished his first goal, he set out for his biggest and ultimate objective, which is to lead the Armed Forces, a “soldier’s dream” that came into reality 31 years later. Achieving the feat was not an easy task for Iriberri, because he had to begin working for it as a young Army junior officer, and as they say, the rest is history.
Company commander at 25
At 25, Iriberri was a company commander at the Army’s 23rd Infantry Battalion that was attached to the Fourth Infantry “Diamond” Division at the time. The 4ID, based in Camp Evangelista, Cagayan de Oro City, operated against rebels and other lawless groups in the Misamis provinces, Bukidnon and Agusan del Sur at the time. As a leader of men, however, Irriberi showed his finest when he commanded the Task Group Panther “COMAG” of the First Scout Ranger Regiment in Central Mindanao, where his troops killed 10 members of the Abu Sayyaf Group in Barangay Klobe, Lake Sebu, South Cotabato.
The young Iriberri and his troops also recovered seven high-powered firearms and documents of high intelligence value. There were no casualties among his men. While he was performing his sacred duty for the country and working to achieve his biggest dream, Iriberri was, however, also raring to perform his other duty, and this is to his family.
No quality family time
“As a husband and a father, I wanted to visit my family,” he said, “but I could not.”
Iriberri’s family was in Manila and his wife was even pregnant with their second child at that time.
The chief of staff said, most of the time, he was on combat operations leading his men, denying him a pass for a trip to Manila and briefly visit his family.
Not only was his duty to the country was robbing him off of his time to be with his family, but it was even denying him to regularly communicate with them.
“Communication to Manila at that time was very difficult, and I could only place a call to my wife if we have to go to the poblacion of Agusan for resupply or marketing missions,” the chief of staff said. Iriberri’s company headquarters was in Barangay Mahayahay, Sibagat, Agusan del Sur.
But as a soldier, Iriberri is trained to cope with all types of situations, and he could not only thrive in it, but succeed despite it.
Discipline, determination
Iriberri’s character was mostly molded by strong discipline, determination and hard work.
As a junior officer, he personally led his three Scout Ranger companies during an attack on Camp Didagen at the Reina Regente Mountains in Sultan sa Barongis, Maguindanao. Camp Didagen was the second-largest camp of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front at that time. Iriberri and his men took it after a three-day of battle without sustaining a casualty.
As he toiled in the service, and along with his exemplary accomplishments that served as testimonies to his sterling leadership and competence, Iriberri rose through the ladder of the military hierarchy. In February 2014 he was named the commanding general of the Army and on July 10, 2015, he became the chief of staff of the Armed Forces.
Image credits: AP /AFP Public Affairs Office