I signed my orders and started
packing up the family to move back
to Ohio. I think everyone was happy to be moving back, but at the
same time we all knew why. The
time came to say goodbye a month
after we moved back. One of the
hardest things I ever had to do in
my life was looking at my youngest
son, giving him a hug and kiss, not
knowing if I was ever going to see
him again. It was so hard because
he was still a baby and had no idea
what was happening and I had no
way to make him understand. My
wife remained pretty strong on the
outside, as did the kids. As much
as they could anyway.
We reported to the drill center and began the pre-deployment
paperwork. Wills, power of attorneys, etc. A few days later we loaded our gear onto planes at Cleveland Airport to 29 Palms, for our
deployment workup. During that
short time, all we could think about
was getting some libo in Las Vegas, because we were going to see
our wives and families one last
time. The down side to those couple days was the black cloud being
directly overhead and we knew at
any moment the rain would begin
to fall. Everyone tried to have fun
but most of us had a strong feeling
as soon as we returned to 29 Palms
we would be packing for Iraq. Sure
enough, that’s what happened.
sert we realized how in the middle
of nowhere we really were. Not 30
minutes after we arrived at the
FOB, a suicide car bomb blew up at
the ECP. Not long after, 3 mortars
and a couple rockets followed and
we now had a clear picture this was
going to be a long hard 7 months.
My platoon was assigned to MSR
security and was a mobile assault
platoon. Throughout the deployment we encountered mines, IED’s,
suicide bombers and firefights. We
had hundreds of incidents of indirect fire landing inside the wire. It
happened almost daily. Our company lost 48 Marines and Corpsman
during our 2005 deployment. With
that brief over view said, and very
brief it is, I’m going to get into the
continuing war. The silent war
many of us still fight in our heads
every day. PTSD.
When our unit returned to Camp Lejeune, some of
our wives came to see us. They
couldn’t wait the few days for us to
return to Ohio, mine included. I
went out into town and got a room
at a hotel we stayed in when I was
in SOI. I was standing on the balcony when she pulled in to the
parking lot not knowing fully what
to expect when I saw her for the
first time. Everyone has a picture in
their heads about this special moment and more often than not, that
moment never lives up to the expectations in our minds. We emMost of us had a good idea braced, but at that moment, deep
where we were going to be sta- down we both knew something was
tioned once we landed in Iraq. The very different.
bulk of our company went to Haditha Dam, while some of us, includWe returned to Ohio with a
ing me, were to be stationed at Hero’s welcome and went our sepaF.O.B Hit. Not long after arriving rate ways with families and friends
at Al Asad, we loaded trucks and who came to see us at the airport.
headed to our bases. Those of us The big welcome home was short
heading to FOB Hit had already lived and soon I was faced with all
been told stories about the base re- the normal stresses of civilian life.
ceiving a lot of indirect fire and sui- Bills, kids, no job to return to, and
cide bombers, but had no idea how not able to receive unemployment
bad it was.
because they overpaid me at some
point a long time ago. Not long afAs we set out across the de- ter our return, to add to the strife,
The Warrior Heart November 2014 - 14