thedrifter
07-04-05, 11:32 AM
Courtesy of Mark aka The Fontman
A new view after Iraq
Monday, July 04, 2005
By Mike Maslanik
Finger Lakes Times
While people across the country today celebrate the myriad freedoms that come with being an American, Spc. Christopher Bean will enjoy one particular liberty: Doing his own laundry.
"Over in Iraq, you sometimes had to wait five days before you could get your clothes back," he said.
And sometimes they were still dirty.
Bean, 20, of Port Gibson, finished up a year-long stint in Baghdad as a truck driver with the 594th Transportation Co., a 101st Airborne division. His time in the military has given him a different perspective on the Fourth of July.
"In Iraq, we're not fighting for ourselves," said Bean, from his home base in Fort Campbell, Ky. "We're over there fighting so the Iraqis can have their own Fourth of July."
One of the things that struck Bean most about his time in Iraq was the people themselves. Most of the Iraqis he met were proud to have the Americans there, he said, and watching them go through their daily lives made him appreciate the historic significance of our Independence Day.
"Being there really opens your eyes to what our forefathers went through to get the freedom we have today," he said.
Reflecting on the times he drove freight-liners on the harrowing roads from Baghdad to Basra, he summed up the experience in an understated way, saying "The roads are not fun to be on."
Being an Army truck driver in Iraq means hauling everything from ammunition to fresh water, always accompanied by gun trucks and often during the dead of night. Missions were always taken on short notice, he said, with the higher-ups giving the orders only 24 hours before. Every time he rolled out, it was with the risk of being stopped by improvised explosive devices, ambushes or suicide bombers.
The hardest adjustment Bean had to make was getting behind the wheel back home.
"It's tough to be an aggressive driver here," he said. "In Iraq, you go as fast as you can all the time, and you don't let anyone near you on the road."
Bean was redeployed to Fort Campbell June 2, in time to get back to New York state to surprise his sister, Nichole, when she graduated from Newark High School June 24.
Nichole said that when her name was called for her diploma, the crowd fell silent. Then her brother stepped up into view.
"My first reaction was to cry at the overwhelming feeling of seeing him," she said.
Before he was deployed to Baghdad in June 2004, Bean said the Fourth of July was just another holiday.
"It was basically another day to have fun and spend time with people," he said.
It's not that he'll do anything much different this year, but the thoughts running through his head will reflect his experiences of the last 12 months.
Bean plans to spend the day in Tennessee with his sister, his fiancée, Barbara Anne Jones, and a few Army buddies.
For his loved ones, though, the day has taken on a new, more personal meaning.
"It makes you think more about the men and women serving our country," said his mom, Patty Bean. "It makes me feel closer."
She added that having her son home was "wonderful, wonderful, wonderful."
Nichole said her brother has made her feel much more proud than previous years.
"It's a good feeling knowing that everyone is celebrating our freedom, because everyone should celebrate it," she said.
Jones was almost at a loss for words.
"It's hard to explain, it's emotional, you know," she said. "I guess the Fourth of July is more meaningful now for us. It hits home more."
While the Beans celebrate today, safe in the knowledge that their soldier is home, other military families face the Fourth of July with proud, but heavy, hearts.
Jeff Rogers, whose son, Pfc. Justin Rogers, 20, is serving with the 2nd Infantry, spoke of the conflicting emotions of having a child in Iraq.
"Obviously, you're on pins and needles whenever you get the media coverage of troops being hurt or killed," he said. "I'm scared and very proud all at the same moment."
Rogers said he is pleased at the transformation his son is going through. He is most proud of Justin's responsibility.
"I remember when he was on leave, he told me, 'For the 15 days I've been relaxing, my guys have been a man short,'" he said.
That makes Rogers stand "a little more proud" today than years past.
For almost 17 years, Tina Smith of Waterloo has lived with her husband, Dave, being in the Army. A unit armorer for the Army National Guard E Troop 101st Calvary serving in Iraq, Smith is also a Seneca County sheriff's deputy.
"He's got two jobs that he loves," Tina said. "One is for his country, and the other is for his county."
Tina said her daughters, Stephanie, 13, Miranda, 11, and Rhiannon, 8, understand that their father is in the Army and they're very proud of him.
When Rhiannon's school had a coffee break for Father's Day, Tina said, she took her uncle and explained to her friends that "Daddy is in Iraq protecting us."
Today will be spent at a simple barbecue with family and friends, Tina Smith said.
"It means a lot more to us because we're a military family," she said.
"My kids and I know what he's doing there, and we agree with it," she added.
Staff Sgt. Jason Marzan, 27, of Seneca Falls, also left children when he was deployed to Iraq last September. Marzan is serving with E Troop 101st Calvary, and his father, Harl, serves as a senior reserve component career counselor with the 3rd Infantry Division.
"Life goes on," said the younger Marzan's fiancée, Selina Dawson of Geneva. "But it will be much better when he comes back."
Dawson, too, will go to a simple cookout with their children - Brooke, 8; Darek, 5; Makayla, 3; and 2-year-old twins Samantha and Skylar.
"We're going to celebrate [his service] at our barbecue," she said. "We'll make sure he knows that everyone at home thinks very highly of him."
Ellie
A new view after Iraq
Monday, July 04, 2005
By Mike Maslanik
Finger Lakes Times
While people across the country today celebrate the myriad freedoms that come with being an American, Spc. Christopher Bean will enjoy one particular liberty: Doing his own laundry.
"Over in Iraq, you sometimes had to wait five days before you could get your clothes back," he said.
And sometimes they were still dirty.
Bean, 20, of Port Gibson, finished up a year-long stint in Baghdad as a truck driver with the 594th Transportation Co., a 101st Airborne division. His time in the military has given him a different perspective on the Fourth of July.
"In Iraq, we're not fighting for ourselves," said Bean, from his home base in Fort Campbell, Ky. "We're over there fighting so the Iraqis can have their own Fourth of July."
One of the things that struck Bean most about his time in Iraq was the people themselves. Most of the Iraqis he met were proud to have the Americans there, he said, and watching them go through their daily lives made him appreciate the historic significance of our Independence Day.
"Being there really opens your eyes to what our forefathers went through to get the freedom we have today," he said.
Reflecting on the times he drove freight-liners on the harrowing roads from Baghdad to Basra, he summed up the experience in an understated way, saying "The roads are not fun to be on."
Being an Army truck driver in Iraq means hauling everything from ammunition to fresh water, always accompanied by gun trucks and often during the dead of night. Missions were always taken on short notice, he said, with the higher-ups giving the orders only 24 hours before. Every time he rolled out, it was with the risk of being stopped by improvised explosive devices, ambushes or suicide bombers.
The hardest adjustment Bean had to make was getting behind the wheel back home.
"It's tough to be an aggressive driver here," he said. "In Iraq, you go as fast as you can all the time, and you don't let anyone near you on the road."
Bean was redeployed to Fort Campbell June 2, in time to get back to New York state to surprise his sister, Nichole, when she graduated from Newark High School June 24.
Nichole said that when her name was called for her diploma, the crowd fell silent. Then her brother stepped up into view.
"My first reaction was to cry at the overwhelming feeling of seeing him," she said.
Before he was deployed to Baghdad in June 2004, Bean said the Fourth of July was just another holiday.
"It was basically another day to have fun and spend time with people," he said.
It's not that he'll do anything much different this year, but the thoughts running through his head will reflect his experiences of the last 12 months.
Bean plans to spend the day in Tennessee with his sister, his fiancée, Barbara Anne Jones, and a few Army buddies.
For his loved ones, though, the day has taken on a new, more personal meaning.
"It makes you think more about the men and women serving our country," said his mom, Patty Bean. "It makes me feel closer."
She added that having her son home was "wonderful, wonderful, wonderful."
Nichole said her brother has made her feel much more proud than previous years.
"It's a good feeling knowing that everyone is celebrating our freedom, because everyone should celebrate it," she said.
Jones was almost at a loss for words.
"It's hard to explain, it's emotional, you know," she said. "I guess the Fourth of July is more meaningful now for us. It hits home more."
While the Beans celebrate today, safe in the knowledge that their soldier is home, other military families face the Fourth of July with proud, but heavy, hearts.
Jeff Rogers, whose son, Pfc. Justin Rogers, 20, is serving with the 2nd Infantry, spoke of the conflicting emotions of having a child in Iraq.
"Obviously, you're on pins and needles whenever you get the media coverage of troops being hurt or killed," he said. "I'm scared and very proud all at the same moment."
Rogers said he is pleased at the transformation his son is going through. He is most proud of Justin's responsibility.
"I remember when he was on leave, he told me, 'For the 15 days I've been relaxing, my guys have been a man short,'" he said.
That makes Rogers stand "a little more proud" today than years past.
For almost 17 years, Tina Smith of Waterloo has lived with her husband, Dave, being in the Army. A unit armorer for the Army National Guard E Troop 101st Calvary serving in Iraq, Smith is also a Seneca County sheriff's deputy.
"He's got two jobs that he loves," Tina said. "One is for his country, and the other is for his county."
Tina said her daughters, Stephanie, 13, Miranda, 11, and Rhiannon, 8, understand that their father is in the Army and they're very proud of him.
When Rhiannon's school had a coffee break for Father's Day, Tina said, she took her uncle and explained to her friends that "Daddy is in Iraq protecting us."
Today will be spent at a simple barbecue with family and friends, Tina Smith said.
"It means a lot more to us because we're a military family," she said.
"My kids and I know what he's doing there, and we agree with it," she added.
Staff Sgt. Jason Marzan, 27, of Seneca Falls, also left children when he was deployed to Iraq last September. Marzan is serving with E Troop 101st Calvary, and his father, Harl, serves as a senior reserve component career counselor with the 3rd Infantry Division.
"Life goes on," said the younger Marzan's fiancée, Selina Dawson of Geneva. "But it will be much better when he comes back."
Dawson, too, will go to a simple cookout with their children - Brooke, 8; Darek, 5; Makayla, 3; and 2-year-old twins Samantha and Skylar.
"We're going to celebrate [his service] at our barbecue," she said. "We'll make sure he knows that everyone at home thinks very highly of him."
Ellie