Rebuilding Ar Ramadi, Iraq: One man's perspective

By Elizabeth Chapman Of the News-Times


One of our own has experienced first-hand in the Middle East what we see on the news: Devin Whitaker, 23, a Newport High School 2002 graduate, went into Ar Ramadi, Iraq as a Line Foreman in the second battalion of the fifth Marines Corps.


Whitaker noted, "Our job was to let the city know that our presence was there. They felt it, you know. I guess for about the first month there was a lot of stuff going on not necessary to us or to me directly but there was still a lot of action around the city, insurgency going on around the city. But within that first month- to two-month window it basically turned into the safest city in Iraq overnight."


He is enlisted in the U.S. Navy as a Medic and the Navy designated him to go with the Marines because the Marines don't have a medical budget per se. His first tour of duty was afloat in the South Pacific and his second was to Iraq.


Changes in the city of Ar Ramadi


Whitaker was stationed in Ar Ramadi from March 15, 2007 to Oct. 8, 2007, where he witnessed the city's changes. Ar Ramadi is the capital of Al Anbar province, west of Baghdad, and was known as a place of insurgent activity near the Syrian border.


"When we got there it was the typical thing you see on the news - the buildings ... busted down, there was garbage everywhere, it was a really ugly place to look at. It just looked war-torn in the greatest respect. But by the time we left it was like 180 degree turn," Whitaker explained.


"We hired a lot of the people to clean up the trash, and we designated a dump area for the city. The trash was a big thing because there was so much trash everywhere. A lot of buildings started to get rebuilt and there was a lot of painting. Just really making it look like a nice place to live again, which in turn builds up morale of the people. They get to be a part of that, they get to be a part of the jobs and work to help themselves in a way," he said.


"It was really quite an amazing transformation, and like I said I can only speak for the city of Ramadi and the time that I was there. I can't really talk for a whole country, but to see a positive transformation when all you hear about was negative was pretty amazing," Whitaker stated.


Duties


Among his duties in Iraq were to provide medical support by "patching guys up," performing physicals on the Iraqi police force, patrolling with the U.S. Marine Corps, and interacting with Iraqi people and politicians through "meet and greets."


Iraqi people


Whitaker described his experience with the locals in Ar Ramadi:


"It's a mixed reaction. Some of them obviously don't want us there but ... we had people make us tea and feed us bread. They make this pita bread that is really good. I experienced more hospitality than hostility from just the regular folks living there. And who's to say why that is. I'm the low man on the totem pole when it comes to a lot of stuff but my experience with the locals was one that I could that I could call positive."


About the battalion


He noted historically the 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines is known for being highly decorated, and for high death tolls, but on this tour no soldiers in his battalion died.


"They did not lose a single marine, there were no KIAs. There were injuries and things like that but there were no deaths on this deployment and that's a first time in history in 2:5's inception that has ever happened," Whitaker said. He added this was due to "a lot of footwork like with locals, dismounted patrols, smart tactics and a lot of working with local Sheiks, the politicians."


About Whitaker


While abroad, Whitaker noticed and appreciated the support and prayers from his family, friends, and this community. To cope with the challenges of being away from his new marriage and home Whitaker found creative outlets. While in Iraq he continued to write, a lifelong passion of his, as well as paint.


With found objects such as cardboard, scalpels, and spray paint he created art. When low on cash he'd stencil designs on T-shirts as a commodity to trade for cigarettes.


Future


Upon his completion of service in the military Whitaker would like to study literature and visual art. He has another two years in active duty and two years in reserves. He hopes to finish his time in the service as an X-ray technician at Camp Pendleton in California with his wife.


Why did you join?


"Through all this literature that I loved I just needed a little something more, I guess something to write about. I've been blessed with an amazing life, a charmed life in a lot of ways and you know I've always loved these guys I've talked about - those internal, external struggles of oppression. My life has been so good that any hardship I've had to overcome has been completely self-induced so I guess the military is no different because I volunteered for that too," he noted.


Do you want to write a novel?


" ... I've heard so many incredible stories about things people have done who work in my field, who are the combat corpsmen, the medics, so on and so forth. I'd like to write a story combining all these super human acts by individuals. I'd like to compile as many of those as I could and write a story because a lot of people don't really know what our job is. I don't think it was until (this movie) 'Flags of Our Fathers' came out that people realized 'Oh, Navy guys go with Marines.'


"So, I'd like to write a big story about all those different, almost-like fables that have been passed down about doc so-in-so back in Ramadi in '04 that did this and it was incredible and I about crapped my pants because that was super human. There's just so many of those isolated stories that people don't hear that are really incredible that happened in extraordinary situations," stated Whitaker.


For example?


"For example, one guy that I knew who was in Ramadi two years prior to me. He's real quiet guy. But sometimes you see him in his dress uniform and he has a bronze star sitting on the very top of his ribbon. You see that and you go, 'Holy crap, this guy has a bronze star, I didn't even know.' And someone says, 'Yeah back in Ramadi in '04 he was on a roof and he saw an insurgent with an RPG aiming in at him and his guys and he dove and he tackled four other guys while the RPG flew under his legs. You know, just stuff like that. It's out of this world and there's a lot of them where these guys didn't get recognized. There are just these fables," he said.


How to do you feel about your work?


"You have a job to do. I guess what our job is a little bit different than most, and if anyone over there does their job incorrectly it can cost someone's life down the road ... but you just have a job to do. You keep pushing for it and you just hope you're doing your part because it's the two guys standing next to you that will reap the rewards or the negative," Whitaker explained.


"You don't think about it. You just rely on your training and rely on what you know (and) hope that gets you through if you have a casualty. Training takes over and you move forward."


Politics?


"I'm not really supposed to comment on my political beliefs but I've got some of those, too. I'd hate to get in trouble for my politics this far into it," he said.


"All I can really say is about the things we've done, the things we experienced, my job. I do my job, and I do my job to the best of my ability and that has little or nothing to do with how I feel about the greater scheme, I guess. I can feel good about the job I'm doing and not have to worry about sacrificing my politics. My job is to save lives. I'd love to just go on a rant with this tape recorder in front of me but unfortunately my job says I can't.


"A lot of people have opinions about it and they're entitled to those. They're absolutely right ... whether pro or con on the war. But what I can say and what I want people to take away from this is there is some good being done. I've seen it, and I guess that's something I can feel good about - that my role was that of a positive one.


"I'd like people to know that I've seen good happen and I've seen things improve and anyone who knows me can take a wild guess at my own opinions, (he laughed), but I have seen the positive and I can't deny that."


Elizabeth Chapman is a reporter for the News-Times. She can be reached at 265-8571, ext. 217 or e-mail her at echapman@newportnewstimes.com.

Ellie