Hope & frustration: The view from there

Hope & frustration: The view from there
Lancaster Online
By JANE HOLAHAN
Jun 21, 2007

The war in Iraq is often the top news story of the day, and mostly the news is tough to hear.

More than 3,500 American soldiers have been killed, and the Pentagon reports that more than 24,000 Americans have been wounded in action.

According to most major polls, about three quarters of the American people say the war is going badly and about 60 percent want a timetable for troops to begin withdrawing.

But what about the guys over there who are fighting the war? How are they feeling these days?

The New Era asked two men from Lancaster County serving in Iraq to talk about their experiences.

First Lt. Neal Rice, 27, executive officer of Alpha Battery, 2—32 Field Artillery, 1st Infantry Division, is stationed in Baghdad and does daily mounted and foot patrols. He answered questions via e-mail.

"Pressure is a way of life here," he explains. "The threat of roadside bombs, rocket and small-arms attack is constant."

Spc. Jonathan Webster, 23, of the Pennsylvania National Guard, is stationed at Camp Anaconda, at the Balad Airbase in Northern Iraq, working as a pay specialist, making sure soldiers are paid properly. He was on a three-day leave when he spoke by phone.

"My days are like the movie 'Groundhog Day.' That's what I consider my life here," Webster says, referring to the Bill Murray movie in which the same day is repeated over and over.

"Everyone says Anaconda is a safe zone, but we do get mortared almost every day," he says. "It's hit or miss, here and there. But it's basically safe."

While their experiences have been different, both men still hold out hope that victory will be achieved, both are frustrated by what they see as lack of support back home, and they both believe that the good things happening in Iraq don't get heard.

But they also talk about the stress this long war — four years and counting — is having on troops, about changing attitudes and, like soldiers from time immemorial, about how they are eager to come home.

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"Some of the soldiers think it's time to come home, some think we should stay a decade if that's what it takes," writes Rice. "But their commitment to each other and to the mission in front of them is always strong."

Rice grew up in East Lampeter, graduating from Conestoga Valley High School in 1998 and Shippensburg University in 2002, with a bachelor of arts degree in political science and Spanish.

He joined the Army in 2004.

"As I watched the early stages of the Iraq War progress on the news, I felt a strong pull to serve the country in support of the war effort," he writes. "The more I watched, the more strongly I felt an obligation to serve."

Rice, who is single, was deployed to Baghdad about four months ago as part of the troop "surge" effort.

Webster, a 2002 graduate of Ephrata High School, joined the Pennsylvania National Guard when he was still in high school, mainly to help pay for college.

In 2005, Webster was sent to New Orleans to help with relief work after Hurricane Katrina. It was an incredible experience, he says.

Married and the father of three small children, Webster has been in Iraq since August, 2006 and is in an 18-month deployment.

"I think we are working toward finding victory, but it still needs to be given time," Webster says. "I would like to see us pull out, but I don't think we can just pack up."

Webster says there are mixed feelings about staying in Iraq among his fellow soldiers.

"Some are for us staying and fighting, some think that's a completely wrong idea," Webster says. "I have mixed feelings. When I first got here, I thought it was a good thing, but I'm not so sure."

"We try to stick together, to keep morale up high," he adds. "There are times when you don't want to be here..."

Webster's base houses between 30,000 and 35,000 people, including cooks, mechanics, contractors, construction workers and infantrymen.

He has a pretty straight-forward routine.

"I get up around 4:30 or 5 a.m., go to the gym, then report to work at 8:30. I get out around 5:30 or 6 p.m., go to chow, then hang out in my room, maybe watch TV, play my Nintendo, and I hit the sack around 11."

The chow is pretty good.

"I've gained 35 pounds," he says with a laugh.

Webster says soldiers are stressed out by the length of the war and especially deployment extensions.

"On the regular-Army side, once they found out that most of the units were extended, that really busted morale," says Webster. "Me, I just can't wait to leave and reunite with my wife and three kids."

Rice writes that morale is "pretty strong" among his soldiers.

"The level of morale fluctuates in response to several factors, including how long we go without any meaningful break, what the news media is saying, if a soldier gets care packages or not, and, especially, if our soldiers get injured."

The toughest setback came when his battalion commander was seriously injured when his truck was hit by an improvised explosive device (IED) about six weeks ago.

"The doctor was able to save his life by amputating one of his legs," Rice writes. We're very thankful he will live, but it is tough when your leader, the man you look to for inspiration, goes down."

Rice is frustrated by the media's coverage of Iraq.

"Violence and destruction sell newspapers and get people to tune in their TVs. I understand the economics of it," he writes. "I wish they could see the progress too. My troops work tirelessly to make progress here. The improvement in schools, business, health clinics and neighborhoods is steady and significant."

Rice explains that the days all run together, but that the pace is fast and draining.

"Generally, we patrol six days a week, reserving one day to maintain and repair our vehicles, weapons and equipment," he says. "The pressure is so pervasive that it's not really stress anymore, it's simply normal."

Engaging with Iraqis is a big part of the mission.

"The only way to make progress is to hit the streets every day, talking with the people and helping them to understand what we're trying to do," he writes. "Iraqis are receptive and friendly towards us most of the time."

Rice believes the surge can work if it's given time.

"We are working incredibly hard to live among the people here, to show them we care and to humanize our presence," Rice writes. "For too long, the Iraqi people's perception of us was that we're closed up in our HMMWVs and Bradleys, that we don't talk to them and don't care about them.

"The new approach gives us an opportunity to engage the people more and to show them we're here to help. We get many tips and more cooperation in general because we're on the street level with the people. It exposes us to more attacks, but it will be worth it so long as we keep building rapport with the people."

Ultimately, though, Rice writes that it's up to the Iraqis.

"I'm convinced if the war is lost it won't be because we didn't work hard enough or believe in it enough."

Both Rice and Webster say they know American support for the war is waning. Do they tie that to support for them?

"Yes, I take it personally," says Webster. "Losing support back home is a morale breaker. We do get the feeling that people don't support us when we hear the news and politics back home."

Rice has complicated feelings about the situation. In an initial e-mail, he says it is not possible to differentiate support for the troops and support for the war.

But in a subsequent note, he explains that his earlier response was "a little rash."

"I was thinking more along the lines of politicians because at the time there was such a debate about the funding bill in Congress and whether or not troop withdrawals should be tied to it," he writes.

"After thinking about it further, it is possible (to support the troops but not the war). Among all the people who are kind enough to support me while I'm here, I'm not sure all of them support the war itself. Yet they support me in care packages, encouraging notes, e-mails and prayers."

The two men agree that support from friends and family is incredibly important.

"Luckily for me and my men, we have an outstanding group of people who have personally sponsored each of my soldiers by sending them care packages and letters every month," Rice writes. "Most of them are from Lancaster. That has helped greatly in keeping our morale high."