IED's and PTSD: Interview with an Iraq War Vet

Jonathan "Stokes" Smith is a US soldier who did two tours of Iraq for a total of 28 months, and a tour of Kosovo. This is his story of war, and the things that go along with war.

JH: What was your lowest point in Iraq?

Would have to be the day after we were told that we would be staying. That is when it all sunk in. That week I first lost my grandfather who was my guiding light. Then the extension and my now ex's crap just starting. I'm man enough to admit that it broke me for little bit where I had to be by myself for twenty minutes or so.

JH: How have IED's (Improvised Explosive Device's) played a major role in the war?

They (IED's) are so tricky. I remember when they first started to use them they were so cheap. An old missile tip under a bag with a detonation cord. Nowadays they are removing pieces of the road at nighttime, placing the bombs and refilling the road for the new morning. I have even heard a case where they put an IED on the back of a donkey next to the road. A triggerman some 100 yards away would watch for a HumVee to drive by then exploded it. The reason for it on the donkey? Well they know we have been making the HumVees more protected and stuff, but not so much around the windshield so they are trying to find any weakness. The best line I ever heard from a soldier is "They're Arabic not stupid."

JH: When you were in that plane, coming home, how did you feel?

We had a four star general on ours and I got to talk to him. He now wears a suit and tie and advises the war recovery effort. I was with most of my best friends at the time and you could not slap the smiles off our faces. As I'm told they still have a picture of the soldiers coming off the plane in Germany with me just to the side kissing the ground. Wasn't our land but damn it, it was still free soil.

JH: Any lasting mental effects from the war that you have noticed since being home?

I know I am very forthcoming on almost everything but I will admit I'll be a little short on this. Yes I do to a point. The Docs have diagnosed me with PTSD. I'd rather not talk too much but it's centered on two single events out there.

JH: I have to ask, what are those two events?

I'll talk about one event but not the other.

We had this kid who would come to the guard point all the time. This dude was cool as ice water. Everyday he would come to hang out with the soldiers and believe it or not help out. At first he only knew English from pop culture stuff on TV. Stuff like "bling bling" and "P-Diddy", it was so funny. Well he learned English from the soldiers very quickly and was un-officially helping us by translating. We would end up hooking him (Aleah) up with Cokes and food and stuff, which he ran home to give to his family.

After a while the Army actually employed him and he became the youngest person, to the best of my knowledge to ever work for the military, he was around 7 at the time.

I was on shift and noticed he was late. I knew that he just started a week before at the new school that was built so I didn't think about it too much. Then I saw people running towards us with something dragging behind them. We lock up; get in battle set, but my Sgt. sees one of the people that he knows. It was the mother of Aleah. We looked in the bag like thing that was behind them and it was a dead Aleah. We found out through his brother that on the way back from school he got caught between a gun battle. He was hit by a RPG.

It hit us real hard. I do not know why but I might of been the most effected by this. He was a real cool kid and I will never forget him. To honor him I had his name tatted on me too. I think I was affected the most because of the first thing that I will not be talking about. I'm still (expletive) up about that.