AR RAMADI Iraq -- Corporal Sergio Hernandez and his fellow 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, Company A warriors nabbed insurgents during an early morning mission here July 4, which made for a unique and memorable Independence Day. Between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m., 22-year-old Hernandez from Hanford, Calif., and fellow Marines with 3rd Platoon, based upon information collected from the previous days, raided several houses in the Al Anbar capital and captured six insurgents. The criminals were later taken to the detainee facility at 1st Battalion, 5th Marines’ base, Camp Hurricane Point. Hernandez didn’t let the fact that he was conducting a dangerous operation on a holiday affect him though. “It’s just another day,” said the rifleman and team leader with the platoon’s 3rd Squad from the back of a 7-ton truck transporting him and his squad into the heart of the city. “That’s how you have to think over here. You have to keep your head in the game. Right now we have a job to do, and there will be time to celebrate when it’s all over.” Moments later the Marines arrived at their destination – a neighborhood where they suspected insurgents were hiding out. They quickly exited the big rig and, with Hernandez leading the charge, entered the closest house. The Marines’ lighting-fast entry caught the inhabitants off guard. They awoke from a peaceful sleep to find Marines standing over them shining lights in their eyes and asking to see their identification cards. Hernandez and Lance Cpl. James Cardenas, a rifleman with 3rd Squad, gathered all the males in one room and checked their ID cards. Other Marines in Hernandez’s fire team went through the house and conducted a detailed search for weapons and improvised explosive device making material. “We are seeing if any of these guys’ names match the names we have on our list,” said the 2001 Hanford High School West Campos graduate. Hernandez explained he and his Marines had a list of insurgents’ they were looking for during their mission. “It looks like these guys match,” he said. The decision was made to detain the three men in the house and take them to the detainee facility at Camp Hurricane Point where they’d later undergo questioning. Hernandez and Lance Cpl. Ryan M. Endicott, a rifleman with 3rd Squad, bound their hands with zip cuff, blinded folded them and loaded them into a high-back humvee parked in the street. “The best time to get insurgents is at night,” said 21-year-old Endicott from Ho-Ho-Kus, N.J., after he loaded is captive in the back of his platoon’s detainee vehicle. “They’re asleep, which makes it easy to get them.” The Marines then moved on to the next house where a similar episode unfolded. The Marines searched several houses and at the end of their two-hour raid, Hernandez and the Marines with 3rd Platoon loaded three more suspected insurgents into the back of their humvee before returning to base. Hernandez then reflected on the mission and the fact it was Independence Day. “We took bad men off the streets today,” he said. “It’s our job to fight terrorism so the people back in the States can enjoy themselves and celebrate. I’m proud that my family is living well because we’re protecting them from terrorists. That’s what Marines do.” This isn’t the first time Hernandez has had a holiday away from his wife, Veronica, and parents, Jose and Petra Manzo. The veteran is in Iraqi for a third time in as many years supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. “My wife and I were high school sweethearts, and she’s toughed it out all three deployments,” he said. “She’s really missed me over the years.” Hernandez plans on reenlisting and going into a different career field so he can stay closer to Veronica. Hernandez’s preferred way of spending the Fourth of July is barbequing with his family back home in Hanford and shooting off fireworks for his niece and nephews. “This year I’ll celebrate by getting some shuteye.”