Veterans Collaborative Connection
A while back I attended Elliott Wolfe’s Veterans Collaborative Service meeting at College of the Canyons’ University Center, where I met Yves (pronounced Eves). That chance meeting led us to meeting once again recently to begin creating this veterans page.

Birthed by Mid-wives
Yves Cachuela was born September 4, 1989 in a dirt floor hut in Las Piñas in the Philippines by mid-wives while his father and two older brothers stood by in an adjacent room. When Yves was 9 months old, his grandfather, a World War II Filipinos infantry soldier, relocated his family to San Francisco courtesy of the United States because of his combat service. At age 14, Yves’ family relocated to Antioch, Califo., but he attended and graduated from Clayton High School in nearby Concorde June 16, 2006. Yves played high school baseball, and in his senior year, he played on his church’s youth basketball squad, where they competed in an international association, coming in second place.

Semper Fi
During high school, Yves thought law enforcement would be perfect for him, but after taking a few related classes at Los Medanos College, he changed his mind. He and his pal’s attention turned to enlisting in the U.S. Marine Corps. They found the Marines appealing due to its tough image and reputation. After all, these youngsters were rough and ready street kids. But when it came right down to it, only Yves was prepared and qualified to enlist, which he did on June 9, 2006, with his dad’s full support, though his mother was far less enthusiastic. Yves’ dad had served with the Philippines’ Air Force. Soon, Yves was off to San Diego for 13 weeks of boot camp, but before moving on to combat training at Camp Pendleton, for a short stint he assisted recruiters in visiting local high schools. This duty Yves very much enjoyed, as it was abundantly clear that the young ladies appreciated the Marines’ uniforms.

Al Anbar Province

Following combat training and a leave of absence, Yves was sent to the U.S. Army’s Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri for six weeks of Military Occupation Specialty (MOS) Training. Yves said, “I arrived at Fort Leonard Wood in the dead of winter, so learning to drive seven-ton vehicles and Humvees was tricky and scary on icy roads there.” Yves completed his MOS training December 24, 2007 and was reassigned to The Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center at 29 Palms, Calif. In January 2008, Yves learned his unit would deploy to Al Anbar Province in Iraq near Fallujah, the site of numerous bloody firefights with radical Islamic insurgents. In March 2008, Yves’ battalion deployed out of March Air Force Base, flying to Maine, Germany, Kuwait and finally landing at Sahl Sinjar Airbase northwest of Baghdad, Iraq. Yves was a driver there for seven months, transporting infantry grunts and equipment in and out of their area of operations. Yves said, “Not only did we worry about enemy surprise attacks and Improvised Explosive Devices (IED’s), but Iraq’s sandstorms were so overwhelming that they often stopped us dead in our tracks.”

Celebrated Heroes
Yves’ Battalion returned to 29 Palms on October 13, 2008, where they were welcomed, celebrated and treated as returning heroes. Yves said, “That celebration with my family there was the best day of my life.” Soon, word spread that the Marines was seeking volunteers, as more M-60 machine gunners were needed. So Lance Corporal Yves Cachuela promptly signed up, which sent him to Camp Pendleton for nine more weeks of infantry school specializing in M-60’s. Afterwards, Yves was assigned to train other Marines at 29 Palms to use M-60 machine guns. Though Yves was an exceptional Marine, he acquired the nickname “Chewy,” as in Chewbacca from “Star Wars,” because he was constantly chewed out by his superiors. It seems that Yves didn’t always control his old ne’er-do-well, trouble-maker street attitude.

Ninawa Province
On March 14, 2009, Yves took his second deployment to serve in Ninawa Province located in Northern Iraq at a dangerous outpost located along the borders of Syria and Turkey. While there, Yves and his fellow Marines experienced considerable combat dealing with sniper fire, IED’s, mortars, RPG’s and small arms fire, which took the lives of several of Yves’ friends. During one operation, Yves’ seven-ton truck was blown up by an IED, which injured him, though because he didn’t receive external bleeding, his wound didn’t merit a Purple Heart. Yves’ tour of duty ended October 29, 2009, sending him back to 29 Palms, where he was once again celebrated as a returning hero. Marine Corps doctors assessed his condition and finally determined he required hip replacement surgery, though Yves is convinced they slow-walked his evaluation. His surgery finally happened on November 15, 2011, though pain persists.

Ducked by a Cheerleader
On June 8, 2012, Yves was honorably discharged, and his immediate goal was furthering his education, first at College of the Canyons and then California State University, Northridge, where he graduated May 20, 2019 with his bachelor’s degree in kinesiology. Yves earned two associate’s degrees at COC and was president of Sigma Tau Alpha Fraternity at CSUN. Back when Yves attended high school in Concorde,  he met a beautiful young lady who attended nearby Deer Valley High School. Yves said, “She was a gorgeous cheerleader that all the guys wanted and pursued.” After meeting her, she ducked him for two months, but his persistence ultimately paid off, though she virtually had him groveling. Yves said with pride, “In the end she became my trophy.” After Yves became a Marine, he proposed marriage on September 19, 2006, and they finally tied the knot June 2, 2011 in a small wedding ceremony with family and friends in attendance. Yves and his young wife have high hopes to have children in the near future, but meanwhile, they are focused on education and employment. Yves’ “service over self” attitude has him assisting veterans with mental health through education from veteran to school to employment while pursuing his American dream.

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