thedrifter
12-28-08, 06:44 AM
Flagstaff Marine makes it home for holidays
By Betsey Bruner - Arizona Daily Sun
Posted : Saturday Dec 27, 2008 8:38:27 EST
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — Before he left home to join the military, Alexander “Alex” Williamson was a ski instructor and snowboarder at Arizona Snowbowl ski resort.
Back home after almost four years as a corporal in the Marine Corps, including seven months in Iraq and eight in Afghanistan, Williamson said he plans on hitting the slopes during this snowy holiday season.
“It feels pretty good to be home,” Williamson said in a phone interview Tuesday, while he shopped in the Flagstaff Mall. “I don’t know what I’m going to do. Just pretty much hang out with family and friends, I guess.”
Since he returned home this month, he has been enjoying eating a lot of steak, something he mostly missed while abroad, although steaks were occasionally air-dropped to troops.
Williamson said he lost about 15 pounds and survived on ready-to-eat meals and little hot trays of food.
“Our refrigerator didn’t work very well,” he said. “We didn’t have very good food, so I didn’t really eat it that much. It’s repetitive and you get tired of it.”
He said his good buddies in Flagstaff sent him packages in Afghanistan, including some noodles.
“Noodles were good,” Williamson said. “I actually traded with British for noodles. They got unlimited noodles.”
Williamson, 23, was born in Flagstaff and graduated in 2004 from Flagstaff High School, joining the Marines a year later.
His parents, Diane and David Williamson, live in Flagstaff and are very glad their son is home for the holidays.
“One of ours has come home, and he’s safe,” said his mother on Monday, when she came into the Daily Sun offices to talk about her son, even though he doesn’t want publicity. “I’m ecstatic. I had dreams he was in danger, and I would wake up and pray for him. He tells me he’s had so many close calls.”
Alex is a middle son, one of three brothers, but only two are living. His oldest brother Chris died tragically several years ago. Younger brother Eric, 21, couldn’t make it home for Christmas because he is teaching scuba diving in St. Croix in the Virgin Islands.
“Afghanistan is different than Iraq, because they are all moving around,” his mother said. “They don’t really have a home base. They’re living in tents. There’s a fine dust everywhere. It was all over his gear.”
During his service, Williamson has been a trained mechanic, helping keep Humvees and 7-ton mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles in working order.
This year he received a Purple Heart military decoration after his left leg was injured by shrapnel in Afghanistan, but he doesn’t want credit.
“I didn’t even want it because it didn’t really do anything to me,” he said about the medal and his injury. “It didn’t seem right. I don’t expect to get anything for what I did. I just did it for everybody else.”
Williamson will be leaving Flagstaff on Jan. 20 and traveling to the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, Calif.
When his four years are up, he will leave military service July 17, but not before attending the Marine Corps Ball on Jan. 29, in Laughlin, Nev.
His dress-blue uniform is getting tailored right now, and he’ll get new medals in time for the ball.
Once he’s out of the service, he has plans.
“I was thinking of going to a technical school somewhere in Phoenix,” Williamson said. “The Marines have already taught me decent mechanics. I’ve gotten pretty good at it over the last three years. I figured I might do a little diesel and gasoline engines.”
He also would like to learn to sail a sailboat, something he’s never done.
“I figure I might as well just jump into it,” he said. “I’ll stay in Flagstaff a little bit, Arizona’s real nice, then maybe sail in Mexico or San Diego.”
One thing he really appreciated when he came home is the show of community support.
“It’s really nice to have everyone be so supportive,” he said. “That’s what the Marines need right now. It wasn’t easy over there. I’m just thankful everybody is giving support, not necessarily for the war, but for us in general. Vietnam vets tell me they had it really rough when they came back. Everybody hated them.”
Ellie
By Betsey Bruner - Arizona Daily Sun
Posted : Saturday Dec 27, 2008 8:38:27 EST
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — Before he left home to join the military, Alexander “Alex” Williamson was a ski instructor and snowboarder at Arizona Snowbowl ski resort.
Back home after almost four years as a corporal in the Marine Corps, including seven months in Iraq and eight in Afghanistan, Williamson said he plans on hitting the slopes during this snowy holiday season.
“It feels pretty good to be home,” Williamson said in a phone interview Tuesday, while he shopped in the Flagstaff Mall. “I don’t know what I’m going to do. Just pretty much hang out with family and friends, I guess.”
Since he returned home this month, he has been enjoying eating a lot of steak, something he mostly missed while abroad, although steaks were occasionally air-dropped to troops.
Williamson said he lost about 15 pounds and survived on ready-to-eat meals and little hot trays of food.
“Our refrigerator didn’t work very well,” he said. “We didn’t have very good food, so I didn’t really eat it that much. It’s repetitive and you get tired of it.”
He said his good buddies in Flagstaff sent him packages in Afghanistan, including some noodles.
“Noodles were good,” Williamson said. “I actually traded with British for noodles. They got unlimited noodles.”
Williamson, 23, was born in Flagstaff and graduated in 2004 from Flagstaff High School, joining the Marines a year later.
His parents, Diane and David Williamson, live in Flagstaff and are very glad their son is home for the holidays.
“One of ours has come home, and he’s safe,” said his mother on Monday, when she came into the Daily Sun offices to talk about her son, even though he doesn’t want publicity. “I’m ecstatic. I had dreams he was in danger, and I would wake up and pray for him. He tells me he’s had so many close calls.”
Alex is a middle son, one of three brothers, but only two are living. His oldest brother Chris died tragically several years ago. Younger brother Eric, 21, couldn’t make it home for Christmas because he is teaching scuba diving in St. Croix in the Virgin Islands.
“Afghanistan is different than Iraq, because they are all moving around,” his mother said. “They don’t really have a home base. They’re living in tents. There’s a fine dust everywhere. It was all over his gear.”
During his service, Williamson has been a trained mechanic, helping keep Humvees and 7-ton mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles in working order.
This year he received a Purple Heart military decoration after his left leg was injured by shrapnel in Afghanistan, but he doesn’t want credit.
“I didn’t even want it because it didn’t really do anything to me,” he said about the medal and his injury. “It didn’t seem right. I don’t expect to get anything for what I did. I just did it for everybody else.”
Williamson will be leaving Flagstaff on Jan. 20 and traveling to the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, Calif.
When his four years are up, he will leave military service July 17, but not before attending the Marine Corps Ball on Jan. 29, in Laughlin, Nev.
His dress-blue uniform is getting tailored right now, and he’ll get new medals in time for the ball.
Once he’s out of the service, he has plans.
“I was thinking of going to a technical school somewhere in Phoenix,” Williamson said. “The Marines have already taught me decent mechanics. I’ve gotten pretty good at it over the last three years. I figured I might do a little diesel and gasoline engines.”
He also would like to learn to sail a sailboat, something he’s never done.
“I figure I might as well just jump into it,” he said. “I’ll stay in Flagstaff a little bit, Arizona’s real nice, then maybe sail in Mexico or San Diego.”
One thing he really appreciated when he came home is the show of community support.
“It’s really nice to have everyone be so supportive,” he said. “That’s what the Marines need right now. It wasn’t easy over there. I’m just thankful everybody is giving support, not necessarily for the war, but for us in general. Vietnam vets tell me they had it really rough when they came back. Everybody hated them.”
Ellie