thedrifter
10-31-07, 09:42 AM
Recent CVHS Grad Returns to U.S. After Deployment in Iraq
By : Robert Souza : 10/30/07
Castro Valley Forum, CA
Two months after his high school graduation, when most young men ...
... are thinking about squeezing as much fun into that last summer, Josh Maners enlisted in the Marine Corps.
“I joined the Marines because I felt it was a really good way to better myself,” said Maners, who recently returned to his stateside unit in Yuma, Arizona after seven months in Iraq.
“The September 11th attacks had a lot to do with me joining,” explained Maners. “I feel like it was wrong that all those innocent lives were taken and I wanted to do something.”
Stationed in Taqaddum, Iraq, Maners and the crew serving on the Airbase found themselves at the transition point for aircraft between Baghdad and Kuwait.
“I’ve heard there is a lot of action going on and it’s pretty chaotic on the front line,” said Maners. “I also heard when our Blackhawks with Marines come around—the insurgents run away.”
Maners said in order to catch the insurgents unawares, most air strikes happen at night. “That’s when the ‘birds’ come in to surprise them,” he said.
In December, just in time for Christmas, Maners will return to Castro Valley. But another callup may be on the horizon. “I’ve been told I may be sent to Afghanistan,” he said.
From the scuttlebutt Maners has heard, many of the Marines in Iraq will be redeployed to the front lines in Afghanistan. “I feel like I’d be doing more for my country if I was fighting on the front line,” Maners said. “It’s really where I’d like to be— I’ve always been a physical person and want to do my duty.”
Maners says the United States presence overseas appears to have a positive affect on the people of the country. “To them, it’s a good thing because with us there, they know they’re safe.” Maners understands the possibility of his redeployment to Afghanistan is unnerving to his parents.
“They’re supportive...and worried,” he added. “But If I’m doing something that makes my mom proud, then it’s all worth it.”
Ellie
By : Robert Souza : 10/30/07
Castro Valley Forum, CA
Two months after his high school graduation, when most young men ...
... are thinking about squeezing as much fun into that last summer, Josh Maners enlisted in the Marine Corps.
“I joined the Marines because I felt it was a really good way to better myself,” said Maners, who recently returned to his stateside unit in Yuma, Arizona after seven months in Iraq.
“The September 11th attacks had a lot to do with me joining,” explained Maners. “I feel like it was wrong that all those innocent lives were taken and I wanted to do something.”
Stationed in Taqaddum, Iraq, Maners and the crew serving on the Airbase found themselves at the transition point for aircraft between Baghdad and Kuwait.
“I’ve heard there is a lot of action going on and it’s pretty chaotic on the front line,” said Maners. “I also heard when our Blackhawks with Marines come around—the insurgents run away.”
Maners said in order to catch the insurgents unawares, most air strikes happen at night. “That’s when the ‘birds’ come in to surprise them,” he said.
In December, just in time for Christmas, Maners will return to Castro Valley. But another callup may be on the horizon. “I’ve been told I may be sent to Afghanistan,” he said.
From the scuttlebutt Maners has heard, many of the Marines in Iraq will be redeployed to the front lines in Afghanistan. “I feel like I’d be doing more for my country if I was fighting on the front line,” Maners said. “It’s really where I’d like to be— I’ve always been a physical person and want to do my duty.”
Maners says the United States presence overseas appears to have a positive affect on the people of the country. “To them, it’s a good thing because with us there, they know they’re safe.” Maners understands the possibility of his redeployment to Afghanistan is unnerving to his parents.
“They’re supportive...and worried,” he added. “But If I’m doing something that makes my mom proud, then it’s all worth it.”
Ellie