thedrifter
11-27-07, 08:05 AM
Family sets aside grief to rejoice
By Art Drake
Published: Monday, November 26, 2007 2:30 PM CST
Times correspondent
PEKIN - With their unit under daily attack from insurgents in Iraq, Lance Corporal Justin Carnegie and his fellow Marines used their down time to ease tension by talking about home - the things they did, where they liked to eat and the people they loved.
When Carnegie flew into Peoria and was greeted by hugs and salutes, one person he loved wasn't there. His stepfather, Barry Chase, had died the day before.
“I was definitely happy to see everybody,” Carnegie said a few days later. “The hardest thing was that I had expected to see my stepdad there, and he wasn't.”
The 23-year-old resident of Peoria's Mossville area had served five months in Iraq before his unit was put on a ship bound for San Diego with stops in the United Arab Emirates, Australia and Hawaii. About two days before the ship reached San Diego, a Red Cross worker woke Carnegie to tell him that his stepfather had suffered a stroke. The next day, a staff sergeant woke Carnegie to tell him that Barry Chase had died Friday, Nov. 16, at the age of 53.
Carnegie was in San Diego for about 10 minutes before being rushed to an airport for a flight to Peoria. When Carnegie walked off the plane shortly after 9 p.m. Nov. 17, his mother, Karen Chase, and other family members enveloped him with hugs. Veterans and Junior Marines who had also turned out welcomed him with salutes and handshakes.
For a time, family members set aside the grief of their loss and celebrated the joy of their hero's return.
Justin Carnegie had not always dreamed of being a Marine.
An athletic boy, he played a little baseball and did a little weight-lifting. But “football was his life,” said his older sister, Maggie Carnegie.
He played cornerback, wide receiver and kick and punt return positions for the Illinois Valley Central Grey Ghosts and was a Detroit Lions fan.
After graduating from high school in 2003, he worked retail jobs at Hat World, Bachrach's and Hollisters. Then Chase started talking to Carnegie about the Marines.
Carnegie's stepfather had served in the Marines from 1972 until 1983, leaving the service at the rank of staff sergeant.
“He'd been all over the world, seen a lot of places,” Carnegie said.
It took time and more stories from another Marine, his cousin, Sgt. Andrew Beales, to bring Carnegie around to signing enlistment forms.
“I wasn't ready to leave yet,” he recalled. “I guess I didn't feel I'd partied enough.”
He was finally ready in 2005. That's when he headed for boot camp, leaving his family proud but anxious.
“The pride I saw in my dad's eyes was indescribable,” Maggie Carnegie remembered. Her brother agreed.
“He was proud, and he let me know every time I talked to him,” Justin Carnegie said. “The thing he said most often was that he wished he could be with me - especially when I was out at sea.”
The family's anxiety about Carnegie's safety was justified after he arrived in Iraq. Based in Al Anbar province not far from Fallujah, his unit was assigned to secure a major supply route. It was dangerous duty.
The first attack came on his fifth day there.
“I got shot at by a sniper while I was in the turret of a Humvee,” Carnegie said. “Then my sergeant got shot in the arm. We never saw where the shots came from, but we saw some buildings in the distance and we knew that was the only place they could be coming from.”
Air support was summoned, spotted the sniper and killed him.
As it turned out, the day of the sniper attack was fairly typical of Carnegie's Iraq experience. Most days featured mortar attacks by insurgents. There was one death in his company, but there were many injuries from improvised explosive devices.
“Just about every day, there was something going on,” Carnegie said.
“We're trained to be focused on our job,” he said. “But when we were back at the patrol base, the most common way to deal with stress is to talk about home - the people you love, the things you do, where you eat. Sports is a big one too. We talked about sports a lot.”
“I was definitely ready to come home,” Carnegie said.
His family was ready for him to come home too. He'd been able to keep in touch through occasional e-mails and phone calls, but the two or three weeks between contacts were tough, said his fiancée, Ivy Bannister.
She and Carnegie grew up together and started dating in high school. They've been engaged for a year, and their wedding is coming up Dec. 15. His service in Iraq took its toll on her and family members, Bannister said.
“It was horrible,” she said. “It's hard to know he's in danger. And to have these feelings and not have your significant other there to share them with - that's hard too.”
Bannister coped by staying close to Justin's family. She kept busy with work and school. She stopped watching TV news. “I would get very paranoid,” she explained.
Maggie Carnegie had taken pains to make sure her brother got a suitable welcome home. Their stepfather's death cast a pall over the planning, and Maggie considered canceling.
Barry Chase had been “ecstatic” as he looked forward to his stepson's return. “He kept telling my mom that he couldn't wait to see Justin get off that plane,” Maggie said.
In the end, Maggie decided that the Marine's homecoming deserved a celebration, and she invited relatives, veterans and Junior Marines to greet Justin at the airport.
Although Carnegie missed his stepfather, he appreciated the warm welcome, the hugs, the salutes and the pictures - about a million of them, he estimates.
After serving two years in the Marines, he has two years remaining in his enlistment. He expects to fly to Japan for two months and spend more time in Asia. A trip to the war in Afghanistan or a return to Iraq may be in the cards.
“I don't want to go back, but somebody's got to do it,” he said. “Somebody's got to keep those guys under control.”
When Carnegie leaves the Marines, he'd like to study to become a personal trainer/fitness specialist or a physical education teacher.
In the shorter term, Lance Corporal Carnegie is likely to get involved in the flurry of pre-wedding errands. His fiancée said his service abroad has changed him.
“He grew up a lot,” Bannister said. “His dad warned us that there would be changes. The first few days, he was distant and cold, but he got back to his normal self.”
“He's definitely the rock for me, his mom and his sister,” she added. “He's the man of the house now.”
Ellie
By Art Drake
Published: Monday, November 26, 2007 2:30 PM CST
Times correspondent
PEKIN - With their unit under daily attack from insurgents in Iraq, Lance Corporal Justin Carnegie and his fellow Marines used their down time to ease tension by talking about home - the things they did, where they liked to eat and the people they loved.
When Carnegie flew into Peoria and was greeted by hugs and salutes, one person he loved wasn't there. His stepfather, Barry Chase, had died the day before.
“I was definitely happy to see everybody,” Carnegie said a few days later. “The hardest thing was that I had expected to see my stepdad there, and he wasn't.”
The 23-year-old resident of Peoria's Mossville area had served five months in Iraq before his unit was put on a ship bound for San Diego with stops in the United Arab Emirates, Australia and Hawaii. About two days before the ship reached San Diego, a Red Cross worker woke Carnegie to tell him that his stepfather had suffered a stroke. The next day, a staff sergeant woke Carnegie to tell him that Barry Chase had died Friday, Nov. 16, at the age of 53.
Carnegie was in San Diego for about 10 minutes before being rushed to an airport for a flight to Peoria. When Carnegie walked off the plane shortly after 9 p.m. Nov. 17, his mother, Karen Chase, and other family members enveloped him with hugs. Veterans and Junior Marines who had also turned out welcomed him with salutes and handshakes.
For a time, family members set aside the grief of their loss and celebrated the joy of their hero's return.
Justin Carnegie had not always dreamed of being a Marine.
An athletic boy, he played a little baseball and did a little weight-lifting. But “football was his life,” said his older sister, Maggie Carnegie.
He played cornerback, wide receiver and kick and punt return positions for the Illinois Valley Central Grey Ghosts and was a Detroit Lions fan.
After graduating from high school in 2003, he worked retail jobs at Hat World, Bachrach's and Hollisters. Then Chase started talking to Carnegie about the Marines.
Carnegie's stepfather had served in the Marines from 1972 until 1983, leaving the service at the rank of staff sergeant.
“He'd been all over the world, seen a lot of places,” Carnegie said.
It took time and more stories from another Marine, his cousin, Sgt. Andrew Beales, to bring Carnegie around to signing enlistment forms.
“I wasn't ready to leave yet,” he recalled. “I guess I didn't feel I'd partied enough.”
He was finally ready in 2005. That's when he headed for boot camp, leaving his family proud but anxious.
“The pride I saw in my dad's eyes was indescribable,” Maggie Carnegie remembered. Her brother agreed.
“He was proud, and he let me know every time I talked to him,” Justin Carnegie said. “The thing he said most often was that he wished he could be with me - especially when I was out at sea.”
The family's anxiety about Carnegie's safety was justified after he arrived in Iraq. Based in Al Anbar province not far from Fallujah, his unit was assigned to secure a major supply route. It was dangerous duty.
The first attack came on his fifth day there.
“I got shot at by a sniper while I was in the turret of a Humvee,” Carnegie said. “Then my sergeant got shot in the arm. We never saw where the shots came from, but we saw some buildings in the distance and we knew that was the only place they could be coming from.”
Air support was summoned, spotted the sniper and killed him.
As it turned out, the day of the sniper attack was fairly typical of Carnegie's Iraq experience. Most days featured mortar attacks by insurgents. There was one death in his company, but there were many injuries from improvised explosive devices.
“Just about every day, there was something going on,” Carnegie said.
“We're trained to be focused on our job,” he said. “But when we were back at the patrol base, the most common way to deal with stress is to talk about home - the people you love, the things you do, where you eat. Sports is a big one too. We talked about sports a lot.”
“I was definitely ready to come home,” Carnegie said.
His family was ready for him to come home too. He'd been able to keep in touch through occasional e-mails and phone calls, but the two or three weeks between contacts were tough, said his fiancée, Ivy Bannister.
She and Carnegie grew up together and started dating in high school. They've been engaged for a year, and their wedding is coming up Dec. 15. His service in Iraq took its toll on her and family members, Bannister said.
“It was horrible,” she said. “It's hard to know he's in danger. And to have these feelings and not have your significant other there to share them with - that's hard too.”
Bannister coped by staying close to Justin's family. She kept busy with work and school. She stopped watching TV news. “I would get very paranoid,” she explained.
Maggie Carnegie had taken pains to make sure her brother got a suitable welcome home. Their stepfather's death cast a pall over the planning, and Maggie considered canceling.
Barry Chase had been “ecstatic” as he looked forward to his stepson's return. “He kept telling my mom that he couldn't wait to see Justin get off that plane,” Maggie said.
In the end, Maggie decided that the Marine's homecoming deserved a celebration, and she invited relatives, veterans and Junior Marines to greet Justin at the airport.
Although Carnegie missed his stepfather, he appreciated the warm welcome, the hugs, the salutes and the pictures - about a million of them, he estimates.
After serving two years in the Marines, he has two years remaining in his enlistment. He expects to fly to Japan for two months and spend more time in Asia. A trip to the war in Afghanistan or a return to Iraq may be in the cards.
“I don't want to go back, but somebody's got to do it,” he said. “Somebody's got to keep those guys under control.”
When Carnegie leaves the Marines, he'd like to study to become a personal trainer/fitness specialist or a physical education teacher.
In the shorter term, Lance Corporal Carnegie is likely to get involved in the flurry of pre-wedding errands. His fiancée said his service abroad has changed him.
“He grew up a lot,” Bannister said. “His dad warned us that there would be changes. The first few days, he was distant and cold, but he got back to his normal self.”
“He's definitely the rock for me, his mom and his sister,” she added. “He's the man of the house now.”
Ellie