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thedrifter
11-16-06, 06:08 PM
Despite battle wounds and missing college, Marine reservist volunteers for second tour in Iraq

By Sgt. Roe F. Seigle

AL ASAD, Iraq - Sgt. Mark Miller should have graduated from the Virginia Military Institute a few months ago with a bachelor's degree in civil engineering.

Instead, the combat engineer and Marine reservist assigned to the Virginia-based Charlie Company, 4th Combat Engineer Battalion is serving his second tour of duty in the western Al Anbar Province of Iraq. Academically, he's fallen two years behind his peers in school.

But the 22 year-old Forest native is not complaining about putting his civilian life and education on hold to return to Iraq. In fact, Miller, who was wounded in Iraq in 2004, volunteered to come back.

He spent two months in a hospital recovering from the wounds he received in 2004. It has not deterred him from serving in the military.

“Being a combat engineer is a fun job though,” said Miller, who is a squad leader and has a permanent scar on his right arm from the insurgent attack in 2004. “We keep the roadways clear of explosives for Iraqi Army convoys and (Coalition Forces).”

Since Miller, a 2002 graduate of Jefferson Forest High School, and the rest of the Marines arrived in Iraq in mid-September of this year, they have spent their days clearing roadways of improvised explosive devices. To date, Miller says they have found five of them. All of them could have caused serious damages to Coalition and Iraqi vehicles and personnel.

“It feels good when we find an IED before it can damage anything,” said Miller. “It makes us feel like we are doing our job and serving our purpose on the route clearance team.”

Marines currently serving in Iraq are much safer than those who served just two years ago, said Miller. That's because vehicles have more armor on them and Marines are issued better quality personal protective equipment than they were in 2004, he said.

He knows the danger the Marines can encounter while traveling through Al Anbar Province first hand. He reminds his Marines not to forget their basic training and remain calm in every situation, especially during an insurgent attack.

To date, Miller has not been attacked with small arms fire on this deployment.

Miller volunteered for another tour of duty in Iraq so he could provide leadership to the numerous Marines in his unit who have never been deployed to a combat zone.

“Sgt. Miller has proven to be a very strong leader,” said 1st Sgt. Scott Miller, 49, senior enlisted advisor for Charlie Company and a native of Amelia, Va. “He is a benefit to our unit and the Marines look up to him and respect him. His leadership is an intangible asset to the unit (because) he makes good judgments (and) he has a good depth of experience.”

Sgt. Miller's mother, Michelle Ramsey, said during a phone interview that her son has always been a hard and determined worker and was not surprised when she found out her son had volunteered for another tour in Iraq.

“He told me he did not want to come home until the job is done,” said Ramsey. “I cry for him all the time. I know he is where he wants to be - there with his Marines.”

Sgt. Miller said he is just doing what he believes he is obligated to do.

“I felt it was my duty to come back here and be a leader,” said Sgt. Miller. “The first time I came here I was one of the lowest-ranking Marines in the unit. I learned a lot really quick. I wanted to pass it on.”

Today, Sgt. Miller and his Marines are doing a less strenuous duty compared to clearing roadways of explosives - making repairs to living quarters and work on this U.S. airbase.

During the work, it's not long before the Marines start joking with one another and reminding each other of simple mistakes they've made during the deployment.

Sgt. Miller cut his finger on a piece of glass one morning while building an addition to a workspace. He covered it with a piece of blue electrical tape because the wound was only superficial, but none of the Marines have made a joke of it yet.

He said it is only going to be a matter of time before someone cracks a joke about it.

“We make fun of each other to get through the day,” said Sgt. Miller. “We stay busy and make fun of each other and it makes time fly by.”

Sgt. Miller said he misses his college days and the “good times” he had with his peers when he was not studying, but the fast-paced workweeks keep him and his Marines occupied.

“When we are outside the wire clearing routes for convoys, we forget what day it is,” said Sgt. Miller.

While checking on some of the repairs his Marines made to a small workspace in the engineers' work area, a call came in on a tactical telephone.

“We got a mission tomorrow,” said Sgt. Miller after he hung up the phone.

He hangs up the phone, and continues speaking with other Marines. He runs his left hand up and down the six-inch scar on his right forearm caused by the insurgent attack two years ago. Four other Marines were wounded and four were killed that day. To this day he still cannot close his fingers completely because of the injury.

“But I can still pull the trigger no problem at all,” he said.

Ellie