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thedrifter
11-15-08, 08:41 AM
San Jacinto man marks milestones in Iraq

PASSAGES: Juan Julien observes Marines Corps' birthday as troops get ready to leave Fallujah.

By KARI HELTON/The Valley Chronicle

While Marines in the San Jacinto Valley celebrated the Corps' birthday Monday, another local Marine was marking the occasion in Iraq.

Gunnery Sgt. Juan Julien of San Jacinto said by telephone that his perspective on the ceremony has changed since he joined the Marine Corps more than a decade ago.

Used to be, he said, that the oldest Marine at the cake-cutting ceremony had his attention.

Now, the 34-year-old joked, he is one of the oldest Marines, and each year he watches the span between him and the youngest Marine get greater.



Julien began his second deployment to Iraq in January. The Camp Pendleton-based Marine provides meteorological, oceanographical, and astronomical support.

On Monday, he discussed another milestone for the Marines: their transfer of Camp Fallujah back to the Iraqis. In fact, Julien anticipated he would be transferred out of Fallujah within 24 hours.

Julien said the area around Fallujah has improved since his first deployment.

Then, he said, attacks came regularly. On the day he arrived, in fact, Iraqi rebels fired a mortar into camp. Though he doesn't serve in combat, it struck him that the insurgents still wanted to kill him and others in support positions.

When he drove into the city, he saw despair on the faces of the residents.

Now, he said, the attacks are much less frequent, and on the faces of the children he sees a new expression: awe. Awe for the good work the Marines have done.

Julien has a wife and four children in San Jacinto.

He likes to tell his children that, even though he's in Iraq, he's still beside them. Phone calls and e-mails help bridge the distance.

Still, it's not the same. One of his sons had a bad experience with baseball and doesn't want to play again. Julien said he knows that the more time his son stays off the field, the less likely he will return to the game. Julien wants to talk to him about it in a way that the physical distance makes ineffective.

In September, he had two weeks' leave. He and his family hit the tourist spots in Southern California and Las Vegas. He also got to go on a hike with one of his sons. It was a good hike; he said they talked friend to friend. He wants to build on that relationship.

His wife has to take up the slack when he's deployed. Their daughter has autism and needs her parents' support all of the time.

Day care doesn't meet her needs, and so his wife quit her job to take care of her. Julien worries that his wife doesn't know how much he appreciates her.

Surveying the changing political climate of the United States, Julien said he hopes America continues to remain “accessible” to Iraq.

He believes the United States has a moral obligation to help Iraq as the war-torn country rebuilds.

Julien is scheduled to finish his deployment in January, but he believes a third deployment is certain.

Ellie