Serving in Iraq - a Soldier's Story that Many Will Never Understand

I had just gotten over the initial shock of leaving my family and friends behind to live in Germany. I was a little depressed but very excited, as I knew I had a huge adventure ahead of me. The rumors had been flying

around for weeks that the unit would be deploying soon and we were sure of it. Finally, one day in late February the entire battalion was called into the auditorium of our home base in Babenhausen, Germany. The news was exactly what we had thought. We were told that our unit had received orders to deploy to Iraq in support of the operation that would later be called 'Operation Iraqi Freedom 1'.

From that day on, we eagerly worked to get ourselves and our equipment fully mission capable. Just about every Soldier in the Battalion was full of excitement but a little worrisome as well. It was somewhat of a teeter-totter of emotions. One minute excited and ready, the other, depressed and worried.

We were told to keep operational security at a high state, so we could not give details to family and friends. All we could say was "I'll be leaving Germany for a while and you may not hear from me for some time". It was pretty obvious where we were going as the situation in the Middle East was all over the news. But, for some reason, the limited information made it that much more emotional.

After a few short weeks of heavy preparation, the date of departure arrived. On March 9^th, 2003 we jumped aboard a jet with our M16's and full battle rattle and headed toward the Middle East. The flight was one of the movies. I'll never forget the looks that we received from the civilian flight crew. The looks were those of the deepest form of pride but sorrow as well. It was almost like they thought we would never come back.

After the most awkward flight of my life, we landed in Kuwait City where we would pick up our equipment and prepare for a four daylong convoy into Baghdad. I will never forget the suffocating temperature change when I stepped out of the jet and inhaled a lung full of harsh desert air, the air I would breath for exactly one year.

Once we settled in, the reception of our equipment and preparation for the convoy seemed to move like clockwork. After only a couple days in Kuwait we received our first fire mission. We were a Field Artillery unit that had been training on a daily basis with our Multiple Launch Rocket Systems prior to the deployment. The constant routine left an enormous eagerness to do 'the real thing'.

The fire mission was called and the mission was completed successfully. The first target had been successfully taken out via precision missile munitions. The excitement couldn't have been higher as the crew came back. This would be the first of several hundred fire-missions that we would successfully execute.

The next series of events would truly test our dedication and courage. We were to convoy eighteen MLRS 'tracks', thirty HEMMT trucks and a large number of other tactical vehicles from Kuwait to Baghdad, non-stop through dusty, enemy infested roads. After several 'close calls' and some minor set backs, we finally made it to our destination at the border of Baghdad. It was then that the excitement was at it's peek. After four days and four nights with absolutely no sleep, we stopped, rested for a few hours and began to fire missile after missile upon those that threatened our wives, children, friends and fellow Americans. The sleep, or lack there of, did not matter to us. This is exactly why many of us joined the Army, to serve our Country and take out the enemy that threatened our way of life.

After the initial invasion was complete, the peacekeeping mission began. The rest of the year consisted of various missions such as collecting captured enemy ammunition and consolidating it in designated holding areas, safely escorting civilian personnel around Iraq and conducting the first ever Joint Visitors Bureau, where we greeted dignitaries such as the secretary of defense and the President himself and escorted them to and from their desired destination in armored cars.

The last month of the deployment was one of extreme excitement. We went from sleeping under our vehicles to living like kings in one of Saddams old palaces. From making broken phone calls every other month to accessing the Internet every day. The deployment had truly turned around 100%. We had completed numerous successful missions and been recognized by some very powerful dignitaries. It was all about to come to an end and it couldn't have come any sooner. We were ready to go home and greet our families that had been worried for a year straight.

Finally, the day of redeployment came. On March 9^th, 2004, the 1^st Battalion of the 27^th Field Artillery rolled into the decorated gates of Babenhausen Kaserne. We got off of the bus, conducted a quick accountability and uniformly marched into the auditorium for a quick welcome home ceremony. We really didn't care about the ceremony. It was the hardest thing we had ever faced, having to stand at attention while we stared our wives and children in the face. When we were finally released, grown men cried like newborn children. It was the most emotional moment I have ever been a part of.

Since then, 1 - 27 Field Artillery has inactivated due to the restructuring of the U.S. Army and I have moved on with my life, exiting the military and pursuing other interests. With my beautiful wife Claudia and our wonderful son Aaron, I've moved on with Iraq being only a memory.