thedrifter
05-16-07, 06:15 AM
War at Home: Lance Cpl. Tom Schwander, U.S. Marines Corps
BY DUFFY HAYES
summit daily news
Summit County, CO Colorado
May 15, 2007
For most of us "civilians," recalling the day after our 21st birthday brings to mind hazy recollections of the previous night's mirth and merriment, and a lazy day spent hungover around the house.
But for 2004 Summit High grad Tom Schwander, the day after his 21st birthday was remarkable in that he set off on a seven-month tour of duty in dusty, dangerous Iraq - his first deployment as a Marine bound for Anbar Province near Fallujah.
"We know he's a smart guy and a tough kid and he'll do absolutely the best that he can - which I would hope would increase his odds of coming back in one piece," says Tom's dad, Tim.
Tim describes his son's terribly dangerous job as part of a mobile assault patrol combing the streets of Iraq - essentially looking for trouble. He says of the day to day danger Tom confronts on patrol, "They basically drive around with targets on their backs."
And as a trained EMT, Tom also gives support to the Navy corpsmen that act as medics for Marines in the field. That puts Tom in the crosshairs more often than not.
"When (Tom) has called, he's been surprisingly upbeat and in a pretty good mood," Tim explains. "But the last time we talked to him, it was starting to wear on him a little bit because one of his friends had gotten killed."
"You could just tell that it was getting pretty real."
Tom is one of those local kids pretty much born and raised in Summit County, who finds himself now in the middle of a global conflict, seemingly deteriorating day by day. Tim, mom Kathy, younger brother Bob, and fiancee Krystina Gibbs are the ones here on the homefront praying for his safe return.
"I've found it's the kind of thing that you can't dwell on. You'll drive yourself crazy," Tim says. "We think about him of course, and pray about him every day, but we try not to dwell on it or project ourselves to his situation."
Like most servicemen, Tom is "all about being there for his fellow Marines," his dad Tim says.
"He's just a great guy that's trying to do the right thing. For him, it's all about being there for his fellow guys, all sticking together, doing the job and getting back home," Tim says.
Adding, he says, "They have a job and they go out and do it ... their job just happens to be putting their life on the line on the front lines."
Spc. Shelby Anderson, U.S. Army
Susan Anderson is the mother of a soldier already twice-deployed to Iraq - Spc. Shelby Anderson - and even though Shelby is today safely with the 101st Airborne in Fort Campbell, Kentucky, he's likely bound for Iraq again in September.
"You see people just kind of living their lives here - kids go off to college and everything is just the American dream - and then for those of us that have people in the military ... it's just really sobering," Susan says.
"This is just a wonderful community in every way, but I think that people just don't know," she adds.
The Andersons have been in Summit County since 1996; Shelby's sisters, Whitney and Sierra, you might recognize as athletic standouts at Summit High over the years. Shelby himself attended area schools until his senior year, when he transferred to the Alaska Military Youth Academy, his first step toward a fulfilling military career that began after graduation from the academy in 2002.
"He feels like he's making a difference, and feels pretty patriotic," Susan says of her son, who recently signed up for another five years of service in the Army.
Set to return to the fire zone in September, Susan tells a number of scary stories about Shelby's first two deployments - first in Iraq's dangerous Sadr City, second in Diyala Province, an area increasingly known as a hotbed for al-Qaeda insurgents.
She recounts a friendly fire incident that nearly ensnared Shelby. She tells of his good fortune when a shaped-charge IED exploded in the opposite direction. Another time, a wire strung across the road "knocked his helmet off."
"I just know that God has protected him," she says. "You just get to a point when you're almost numb. You just can't think about it, otherwise you'd go crazy."
Her coping mechanism? Staying active by coordinating care packages to send to all the troops with Summit County connections.
"That helps me feel like I'm doing something, to keep me busy," she says.
Sgt. Andrew Parmley, U.S. Army
At the same time as Chief Dave Parmley, locally well-known for leading the Lake Dillon Fire-Rescue Authority, was being interviewed for this story, his son Andrew was waiting at a base on the other side of the world, in Kuwait.
Within weeks, the 3rd Infantry combat medic and Summit County local will be stationed in a hot zone inside Baghdad - his first deployment since training at both Fort Sam Houston (Texas) and Fort Stewart near Savannah, Georgia.
"It does change the whole dynamic having him over there. It's hard not to have your thoughts gravitate that way. There's definitely a degree of uneasiness with the state of things as they are over there," Chief Parmley says.
Andrew's mom Kathy talks about his passion for the country, and how his first foray into the service with the Air Force left Andrew feeling like he could do more, prompting a switch over to the Army.
"Andrew loves history. He loves American history. He loves the country and the freedoms of this country. He felt obligated to serve to protect those freedoms," she says.
His passion for history is plain in a letter he wrote recently, published in the Letters section of this newspaper. It is entitled, "Dear Summit County," and its first line reads: "For all the free people that still protest, you're welcome." The letter became a flashpoint for Summit County citizens in the Opinion section of the paper after it was published.
Reticent to get into the politics of the war, however, Kathy isn't immune from commenting on the debate that her son's letter sparked.
"It's just so hard to say that you're for the war or against it. I truly believe that the cause is right - I'm not sure that we need to still be there," she says.
"It's hurtful to see all of the protests."
Ellie
BY DUFFY HAYES
summit daily news
Summit County, CO Colorado
May 15, 2007
For most of us "civilians," recalling the day after our 21st birthday brings to mind hazy recollections of the previous night's mirth and merriment, and a lazy day spent hungover around the house.
But for 2004 Summit High grad Tom Schwander, the day after his 21st birthday was remarkable in that he set off on a seven-month tour of duty in dusty, dangerous Iraq - his first deployment as a Marine bound for Anbar Province near Fallujah.
"We know he's a smart guy and a tough kid and he'll do absolutely the best that he can - which I would hope would increase his odds of coming back in one piece," says Tom's dad, Tim.
Tim describes his son's terribly dangerous job as part of a mobile assault patrol combing the streets of Iraq - essentially looking for trouble. He says of the day to day danger Tom confronts on patrol, "They basically drive around with targets on their backs."
And as a trained EMT, Tom also gives support to the Navy corpsmen that act as medics for Marines in the field. That puts Tom in the crosshairs more often than not.
"When (Tom) has called, he's been surprisingly upbeat and in a pretty good mood," Tim explains. "But the last time we talked to him, it was starting to wear on him a little bit because one of his friends had gotten killed."
"You could just tell that it was getting pretty real."
Tom is one of those local kids pretty much born and raised in Summit County, who finds himself now in the middle of a global conflict, seemingly deteriorating day by day. Tim, mom Kathy, younger brother Bob, and fiancee Krystina Gibbs are the ones here on the homefront praying for his safe return.
"I've found it's the kind of thing that you can't dwell on. You'll drive yourself crazy," Tim says. "We think about him of course, and pray about him every day, but we try not to dwell on it or project ourselves to his situation."
Like most servicemen, Tom is "all about being there for his fellow Marines," his dad Tim says.
"He's just a great guy that's trying to do the right thing. For him, it's all about being there for his fellow guys, all sticking together, doing the job and getting back home," Tim says.
Adding, he says, "They have a job and they go out and do it ... their job just happens to be putting their life on the line on the front lines."
Spc. Shelby Anderson, U.S. Army
Susan Anderson is the mother of a soldier already twice-deployed to Iraq - Spc. Shelby Anderson - and even though Shelby is today safely with the 101st Airborne in Fort Campbell, Kentucky, he's likely bound for Iraq again in September.
"You see people just kind of living their lives here - kids go off to college and everything is just the American dream - and then for those of us that have people in the military ... it's just really sobering," Susan says.
"This is just a wonderful community in every way, but I think that people just don't know," she adds.
The Andersons have been in Summit County since 1996; Shelby's sisters, Whitney and Sierra, you might recognize as athletic standouts at Summit High over the years. Shelby himself attended area schools until his senior year, when he transferred to the Alaska Military Youth Academy, his first step toward a fulfilling military career that began after graduation from the academy in 2002.
"He feels like he's making a difference, and feels pretty patriotic," Susan says of her son, who recently signed up for another five years of service in the Army.
Set to return to the fire zone in September, Susan tells a number of scary stories about Shelby's first two deployments - first in Iraq's dangerous Sadr City, second in Diyala Province, an area increasingly known as a hotbed for al-Qaeda insurgents.
She recounts a friendly fire incident that nearly ensnared Shelby. She tells of his good fortune when a shaped-charge IED exploded in the opposite direction. Another time, a wire strung across the road "knocked his helmet off."
"I just know that God has protected him," she says. "You just get to a point when you're almost numb. You just can't think about it, otherwise you'd go crazy."
Her coping mechanism? Staying active by coordinating care packages to send to all the troops with Summit County connections.
"That helps me feel like I'm doing something, to keep me busy," she says.
Sgt. Andrew Parmley, U.S. Army
At the same time as Chief Dave Parmley, locally well-known for leading the Lake Dillon Fire-Rescue Authority, was being interviewed for this story, his son Andrew was waiting at a base on the other side of the world, in Kuwait.
Within weeks, the 3rd Infantry combat medic and Summit County local will be stationed in a hot zone inside Baghdad - his first deployment since training at both Fort Sam Houston (Texas) and Fort Stewart near Savannah, Georgia.
"It does change the whole dynamic having him over there. It's hard not to have your thoughts gravitate that way. There's definitely a degree of uneasiness with the state of things as they are over there," Chief Parmley says.
Andrew's mom Kathy talks about his passion for the country, and how his first foray into the service with the Air Force left Andrew feeling like he could do more, prompting a switch over to the Army.
"Andrew loves history. He loves American history. He loves the country and the freedoms of this country. He felt obligated to serve to protect those freedoms," she says.
His passion for history is plain in a letter he wrote recently, published in the Letters section of this newspaper. It is entitled, "Dear Summit County," and its first line reads: "For all the free people that still protest, you're welcome." The letter became a flashpoint for Summit County citizens in the Opinion section of the paper after it was published.
Reticent to get into the politics of the war, however, Kathy isn't immune from commenting on the debate that her son's letter sparked.
"It's just so hard to say that you're for the war or against it. I truly believe that the cause is right - I'm not sure that we need to still be there," she says.
"It's hurtful to see all of the protests."
Ellie