thedrifter
08-12-08, 09:12 AM
Local Marine relishes year at home
By Joe VanHoose
STAR-BANNER
Published: Tuesday, August 12, 2008 at 6:30 a.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, August 12, 2008 at 5:58 a.m.
Maj. Jeff Dyal has everything going for him in his 20th year in the military. The Marine completed a seven-month stint in Iraq last year, was awarded a Bronze Star, and now he gets to stay with his family until next June while he attends school at Fort Leavenworth, Kan.
The Ocala native may even get a chance to return to Florida for his next assignment, bringing his career full circle.
"It's been great to have the family together," Dyal said of his wife, Cathy, and three daughters - Hannah, 7, Bailey, 5, and Gracie, 3. "We haven't had the chance in quite some time. It's given us a chance to catch our breath a bit."
A year ago, Dyal didn't have time to blink, much less breathe. He served as an operations officer in Iraq along the Syrian border, looking over 4,200 square miles for insurgents while in the Fourth Marines First Battalion Task Force.
The goal was stabilization, Dyal said. His goal was to integrate the Iraqi army and police with American forces, all while taking in prisoners and watching out for makeshift weapons.
"We'd go from helping and stabilizing to engaging in full combat," Dyal said. "It would change every day, especially because we didn't know who the bad guy was or what his weapon was.
"It was always a moving target."
It was a military mother's worst nightmare, exactly what Mary Dyal feared when her son told her he was joining the Marines 20 years ago.
"I wasn't a happy camper then," she said. "He was 18 and I was worried about him."
That worry never subsided. But now Dyal is back from war, a decorated soldier who Mary says could write his own ticket on what he'll do next. Pride in her son has replaced the fear she once had.
"He's made a great career out of what he's done," she said. "It was his calling, and it's probably one of the best decisions he ever made."
Dyal's efforts paid off. He captured more than 100 insurgent detainees in Iraq, about 80 of whom were prosecuted. He left his area in better shape in September last year than when he got there in April. His work earned him a Bronze Star citation.
"His direct involvement with the Iraqi army ... led to their validation to independent operations," the citation states. "His concept of partnership with the Iraqi army and police forces facilitated an unprecedented union between Coalition and Iraqi security forces."
Dyal remains optimistic that soon the U.S. forces' job will be done; that Iraq will be able to rule itself independently.
"The progress is being made, but it's small steps that you have to accept," he said. "The people there are getting the desire it takes to rule themselves. It's just going to take time to get the stability built up there."
Dyal doesn't know where his next assignment will take him, though he hopes it will be back to a command center in Tampa. For now, he's more than content to spend a year playing with his daughters and relaxing a bit with his wife.
"I have a year in school, a year with my family," he said, "but after that it depends on the needs of the Corps."
Joe VanHoose may be reached at joe.vanhoose@starbanner.com or 867-4124.
Ellie
By Joe VanHoose
STAR-BANNER
Published: Tuesday, August 12, 2008 at 6:30 a.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, August 12, 2008 at 5:58 a.m.
Maj. Jeff Dyal has everything going for him in his 20th year in the military. The Marine completed a seven-month stint in Iraq last year, was awarded a Bronze Star, and now he gets to stay with his family until next June while he attends school at Fort Leavenworth, Kan.
The Ocala native may even get a chance to return to Florida for his next assignment, bringing his career full circle.
"It's been great to have the family together," Dyal said of his wife, Cathy, and three daughters - Hannah, 7, Bailey, 5, and Gracie, 3. "We haven't had the chance in quite some time. It's given us a chance to catch our breath a bit."
A year ago, Dyal didn't have time to blink, much less breathe. He served as an operations officer in Iraq along the Syrian border, looking over 4,200 square miles for insurgents while in the Fourth Marines First Battalion Task Force.
The goal was stabilization, Dyal said. His goal was to integrate the Iraqi army and police with American forces, all while taking in prisoners and watching out for makeshift weapons.
"We'd go from helping and stabilizing to engaging in full combat," Dyal said. "It would change every day, especially because we didn't know who the bad guy was or what his weapon was.
"It was always a moving target."
It was a military mother's worst nightmare, exactly what Mary Dyal feared when her son told her he was joining the Marines 20 years ago.
"I wasn't a happy camper then," she said. "He was 18 and I was worried about him."
That worry never subsided. But now Dyal is back from war, a decorated soldier who Mary says could write his own ticket on what he'll do next. Pride in her son has replaced the fear she once had.
"He's made a great career out of what he's done," she said. "It was his calling, and it's probably one of the best decisions he ever made."
Dyal's efforts paid off. He captured more than 100 insurgent detainees in Iraq, about 80 of whom were prosecuted. He left his area in better shape in September last year than when he got there in April. His work earned him a Bronze Star citation.
"His direct involvement with the Iraqi army ... led to their validation to independent operations," the citation states. "His concept of partnership with the Iraqi army and police forces facilitated an unprecedented union between Coalition and Iraqi security forces."
Dyal remains optimistic that soon the U.S. forces' job will be done; that Iraq will be able to rule itself independently.
"The progress is being made, but it's small steps that you have to accept," he said. "The people there are getting the desire it takes to rule themselves. It's just going to take time to get the stability built up there."
Dyal doesn't know where his next assignment will take him, though he hopes it will be back to a command center in Tampa. For now, he's more than content to spend a year playing with his daughters and relaxing a bit with his wife.
"I have a year in school, a year with my family," he said, "but after that it depends on the needs of the Corps."
Joe VanHoose may be reached at joe.vanhoose@starbanner.com or 867-4124.
Ellie