thedrifter
11-25-08, 07:54 AM
Rich East graduate joins Marines, sees action fighting in Iraq
November 23, 2008
BY CASEY TONER STaff Writer
At 32 years old, Park Forest resident DeShaun Smith has seen the world and rooted out terrorism from inside the shadows of Iraq.
Yet Smith is surprisingly unassuming. Broad-shouldered and 6 feet 4 inches tall, he cuts an imposing figure that is undercut by his quiet demeanor.
Smith, a graduate of Rich East High School, joined the Marines in 2004, a move spurned by a friend's enlistment as well as his own family's history.
"I joined knowing I was going to follow in my family's footsteps," Smith said. "A majority of my relatives enlisted in the Army and Navy ... cousins and uncles and two of my aunts."
In May of that year, Smith left for Camp Pendleton in San Diego, Calif. He claims the experience turned him into a better man.
"I felt my confidence grow," Smith said. "At the time, there was just so much to take in because of the distance away from home. But I got a sense of appreciation for the military and for people who serve."
After graduating basic training, Smith was shipped off to Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, N.C., to learn Iraqi-style warfare - the basics of security checkpoints, how to search for improvised explosive devices, etc.
After the months of training, Smith's unit flew out to Camp Wilson in Twentynine Palms, Ca., to train in full 60-pound equipment in 130-degree weather.
"The heat can make you complacent," Smith said. "Instead of focusing on the mission or your buddy next to you, you'll be thinking about the heat. The camp also taught us to stay hydrated. We learned that very quickly."
Smith cut his teeth in Iraq from August 2005 to February 2006. Stationed in the Al-Taqaddum Air Base in southern Iraq, Smith worked convoy security detail. Mortar shells exploded just outside the base daily.
"They sound close to fireworks, but when they hit the ground, they shake the ground," Smith said. "One time it knocked me and one of my buddies out of our beds."
Smith's success in working the detail led one of his sergeants to recommend him for an under-the-radar, rapid response, counter-intelligence unit.
"We basically did stuff you can't talk about," Smith said. "We worked with a guy on a first-name basis, and we did secret missions with him."
Smith served in Iraq again from August 2007 to March 2008 and was stationed on the Al-Asad Air Base.
His second tour was a more relaxed affair, as he removed and repaired existing communications equipment.
"I liked it because I was doing the job I was trained to do," Smith said.
Now a reservist and a corporal, Smith is on the waiting list for a third tour. He said he is scheduled to do humanitarian work on the horn of Africa.
"A lot of people I know said they had a good time doing it, so I want to see what it is all about," Smith said.
Ellie
November 23, 2008
BY CASEY TONER STaff Writer
At 32 years old, Park Forest resident DeShaun Smith has seen the world and rooted out terrorism from inside the shadows of Iraq.
Yet Smith is surprisingly unassuming. Broad-shouldered and 6 feet 4 inches tall, he cuts an imposing figure that is undercut by his quiet demeanor.
Smith, a graduate of Rich East High School, joined the Marines in 2004, a move spurned by a friend's enlistment as well as his own family's history.
"I joined knowing I was going to follow in my family's footsteps," Smith said. "A majority of my relatives enlisted in the Army and Navy ... cousins and uncles and two of my aunts."
In May of that year, Smith left for Camp Pendleton in San Diego, Calif. He claims the experience turned him into a better man.
"I felt my confidence grow," Smith said. "At the time, there was just so much to take in because of the distance away from home. But I got a sense of appreciation for the military and for people who serve."
After graduating basic training, Smith was shipped off to Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, N.C., to learn Iraqi-style warfare - the basics of security checkpoints, how to search for improvised explosive devices, etc.
After the months of training, Smith's unit flew out to Camp Wilson in Twentynine Palms, Ca., to train in full 60-pound equipment in 130-degree weather.
"The heat can make you complacent," Smith said. "Instead of focusing on the mission or your buddy next to you, you'll be thinking about the heat. The camp also taught us to stay hydrated. We learned that very quickly."
Smith cut his teeth in Iraq from August 2005 to February 2006. Stationed in the Al-Taqaddum Air Base in southern Iraq, Smith worked convoy security detail. Mortar shells exploded just outside the base daily.
"They sound close to fireworks, but when they hit the ground, they shake the ground," Smith said. "One time it knocked me and one of my buddies out of our beds."
Smith's success in working the detail led one of his sergeants to recommend him for an under-the-radar, rapid response, counter-intelligence unit.
"We basically did stuff you can't talk about," Smith said. "We worked with a guy on a first-name basis, and we did secret missions with him."
Smith served in Iraq again from August 2007 to March 2008 and was stationed on the Al-Asad Air Base.
His second tour was a more relaxed affair, as he removed and repaired existing communications equipment.
"I liked it because I was doing the job I was trained to do," Smith said.
Now a reservist and a corporal, Smith is on the waiting list for a third tour. He said he is scheduled to do humanitarian work on the horn of Africa.
"A lot of people I know said they had a good time doing it, so I want to see what it is all about," Smith said.
Ellie