He’s dodged the enemy, but his patriotic colors never ran.
A Brooklyn veteran who has lived through the war on terror — from responding to the 9/11 attacks to three tours on the front lines in the Middle East — is now taking on a new tour of duty: as a counselor to fellow vets navigating the hurdles of civilian life.
Ex-US Army Staff Sgt. Omar Domenech lives Memorial Day every day by serving living soldiers and remembering the fallen.
“We’re all there to do a duty and serve our country,” said Domenech, 35, a married father of three from Sunset Park who began working as a counselor at the nonprofit Jericho Project this month.
Always a do-gooder, Domenech signed up for the National Guard in 2000. He had barely finished his training at Fort Bliss, Texas, when he returned to Brooklyn — and was sent to respond to the WTC towers he saw smoldering in the distance from his home.
“I had no idea what I was walking into,” he recalled.
Domenech spent the next four days recovering bodies, helping residents get out of Battery Park City and guarding Ground Zero from looters.
“It was just a very sad and unbelievable experience. I wanted to go to the Middle East after I saw what happened to my hometown,” he said.
TOM MANION: REMEMBER THE HEROES
MAUREEN MILLER: ASK ME ABOUT MY SON’S SACRIFICE
MEMORIAL DAY CELEBRATIONS, LIST OF CLOSURES
After a stint working for the federal Transportation Security Administration, he enlisted in the Army in 2003. By 2004, he was deep into the fighting in Iraq.
Domenech said he himself had “a lot of close calls” as a driver on convoy patrols. During his second tour, in 2006, an IED exploded at close range.
“I saw a bright-orange flash, and it knocked me to the ground. I was disoriented,” Domenech said.
The explosion left the soldier with shrapnel in his right arm. Doctors were able to remove the metal fragments, and he earned a Purple Heart for his heroism.
Still, the dedicated soldier returned in 2007 to oversee truck routes in Kuwait.
After returning home to Brooklyn in 2009, the humble hero wanted to do more for fellow vets who were having a hard time returning to civilian life.
Domenech enrolled in graduate school at Touro College and finished up his social-work degree this month.
He’s now settling into his next mission — counseling vets living in 56 studio apartments at the new Jericho Project’s Fordham Village in The Bronx.
“I’m proud of what I’ve done. I have seen so much and done so much,” he said.