Through Veterans' Eyes

by Larry Minear

  His Airborne Special Forces duties fulfilled a promise made by his recruiting officer—to find Thompson a post in the military where he could “jump out of airplanes.” Thompson took the photograph just after landing during a Special Forces training mission in Karshi-Karabad (“K-2”) in neighboring Uzbekistan. “I see that picture and think of all the exercises and training we did,” he says. With the focus on Iraq, Thompson observed that, “It was basically a peaceful time.” However he and fellow soldiers in his unit grew frustrated and angry “when we discovered and blew up the largest weapons cache yet found, and it didn’t make the news.” In more recent years, the tables have turned, he notes, with violence in Iraq largely limited to occasional suicide bombers while in Afghanistan the insurgents mount major campaigns. His Special Forces unit has already returned once to Afghanistan and is scheduled to make a third deployment.

  * * *

  Issues such as these, from macro to micro, may be reviewed and reassessed as the Obama administration settles in. Shortly after taking office, President Obama signaled a new approach toward defining and pursuing the threat of terrorism directed against the United States. Whether or not the changes that emerge over time signify “closing the door on the Bush administration’s Global War on Terror,” as some have suggested, remains to be seen.50 Whatever the way forward, however, there is much to be learned from the front line experience of veterans over the past decade.

  There are as many experiences of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq as there are veterans. Each veteran takes us along on a very personal journey. Each journey represents a particular interaction between an individual soldier and the circumstances he or she confronts. Veterans interpret their experiences differently. At the same time, the process has certain archetypical elements, which connect these veterans to each other and to their predecessors in earlier conflicts. Few, if indeed any, of the two million plus veterans who have served in the Global War on Terror have emerged unscathed, few families unchanged, few communities unaffected.

  The experience of veterans deserves to be understood and respected. There will be a time, in the aftermath of the wars, for critiquing the experience, probing the assumptions, challenging the assertions, and passing judgment on behavior, civilian and military alike. But the time is not now and the place is not here. The stories and the experiences are what they are and deserve respectful attention and thoughtful pondering in all of their commonalities and diversity.

  NOTES

  Introduction

  1. Figures include casualties in non-hostile as well as hostile action. Source: DOD, Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC), Data Analysis and Programs Division. Combined killed in action and wounded in action for OEF and OIF.

  2. The figures used in the book’s narrative are those that were available when the text was written in early 2009. This and later footnotes update the data. Thus by the end of 2009, more than two million U.S. military personnel had served in Afghanistan and Iraq. As of January 30, 2010, U.S. casualties in the Global War on Terror in its two major operations stood at 41,900. Source: DOD, Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC), Data Analysis and Programs Division. Global War on Terror casualties by military service component, October 7, 2001 through January 30, 2010.

  3. Medford, MA: Feinstein International Center, Tufts University (2007), http://www.fic.tufts.edu.

  4. See Minear, U.S. Citizen-Soldier, Appendix 4, “Methodology,” 84–86.

  5. Robert D’Amico Collection (AFC2001/001/62471), DVD recording (MV01), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress (hereafter referred to as “VHP, AFC, LOC”).

  6. Telephone interview with the author, September 11, 2007. See also Shawn Stenberg Collection (AFC2001/001/41268), video recording (MV01), VHP, AFC, LOC.

  Chapter1: The Global War on Terror

  1. David Wood, “What’s Missing in the War on Terrorism: An Overarching Strategy,” Newhouse News Service, June 19, 2002, Newhouse.com.

  2. Office of the Press Secretary, “President Holds Prime Time News Conference,” October 11, 2001, www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/news/2001/10/mil-011011-usia01b.htm.

  3. International Security Assistance Force website, http://www.nato.int/ISAF/ (accessed February 28, 2009).

  4. President’s Radio Address, March 20, 2003, www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases.

  5. “President Bush Announces Major Combat Operations in Iraq Have Ended,” May 1, 2003, http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2003/05/20030501-15.html. Quoted in Catherine Dale, Operation Iraqi Freedom: Strategies, Approaches, Results, and Issues for Congress, Congressional Research Service (Damascus, MD: Penny Hill Press, December15, 2008), 37.

  6. Department of Defense News Briefing with Secretary Rumsfeld and General Myers, June 30, 2003, available at http://www.defense.gov/Transcripts/Transcript.aspx?TranscriptID=2767. Quoted in Dale, Operation Iraqi Freedom, 52.

  7. Dale, Operation Iraqi Freedom, 45.

  8. Waleed Ibrahim and Tim Locks, “U.S. Forces under Iraq Mandate, Hand Over Green Zone,” Reuters, January 1, 2009.

  9. UN Security Council Resolution 1790, December 18, 2007.

  10. UN Security Council Resolution 1483, May 22, 2003.

  11. UN Security Council Resolution 1546, June 8, 2004.

  12. Dale, Operation Iraqi Freedom, 44.

  13. Iraq Index: Tracking Variables of Reconstruction and Security in Post-Saddam Iraq, February 5, 2009, 25, Brookings Institution, http://www.brookings.edu/iraqindex.

  14. Helene Cooper, “Putting Stamp on Afghan War, Obama will Send 17,000 Troops,” New York Times, February 18, 2009.

  15. The twenty-eight countries were Afghanistan, Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Colombia, Djibouti, Egypt, Ethiopia, Georgia, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Oman, Pakistan, Philippines, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Yemen. For a discussion, see Larry Minear, “Colombia Country Study” in Antonio Donini et al., Humanitarian Agenda 2015: Principles, Power, and Perceptions (Medford, MA: Feinstein International Center, September 2006).

  16. Eric Schmitt, “U.S. Training in West Africa Aims to Stave Off Extremists,” New York Times, December 13, 2008.

  17. Amy Belasco, The Cost of Iraq, Afghanistan, and Other Global War on Terror Operations Since 9/11, CRS Report for Congress, Congressional Research Service, updated October 15, 2008.

  18. Linda J. Bilmes and Joseph E. Stiglitz, “The Iraq War Will Cost Us $3 Trillion, and Much More,” Washington Post, March 9, 2008.

  19. Updating the figures through the end of 2009, DOD reports that a total of 2,052,406 soldiers have been deployed in OEF and OIF. Of these, 809,612 have been deployed more than once. The total number of deployments for this period was 3,346,143. Source: DOD, DMDC, CTS, Deployment File for Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom as of December 31, 2009.

  20. Executive Summary, An Achievable Vision: Report of the Department of Defense Task Force on Mental Health. Department of Defense Task Force on Mental Health (Falls Church, VA: Defense Health Board, 2007).

  21. The global figures are taken from the Department of Defense’s Contingency Tracking System, Profile of Service Members Currently Deployed as of November 30, 2008.

  22. Thom Shanker, “Pentagon Rethinking Old Doctrine on 2 Wars,” New York Times, March 15, 2009.

  23. DOD CTS (Contingency Tracking System), Deployment File for Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom as of November 30, 2008. (Percentage calculations are by the author.)

  24. Larry Minear, The U.S. Citizen-Soldier and the Global War on Terror: The National Guard Experience (Medford, MA: Feinstein International Center, Tufts University, 2007).

  25. Damon DiMarco, Heart of War: Soldiers’ Voices from the Front Lines in Iraq (New York: Citadel Press, 2007), xv.

  26. DOD, DMDC, CTS, Operation Enduring Freedom, Military Deaths and Military Wounded in Action, October 7, 2001 through January 3, 2009.

  27. DOD, DM
DC, CTS, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Military Deaths and Military Wounded in Action, March 19, 2003 through January 3, 2009.

  28. The numbers in Figure 4 have been calculated by the author from the source indicated in the two previous footnotes.

  29. The percentages updated through January 2, 2010 are: active-duty personnel, 80.6%; National Guard, 6.9%; Reserves, 12.5%. Source: DOD, DMDC, Analysis and Programs Division.

  30. The updated percentages are: Army, 71%; Navy, 2%; Marines, 25.5%; Air Force, 1.5%. Source: DOD, DMDC, Data Analysis and Programs Division.

  31. DOD, “Operation Iraqi Freedom.” DOD reports 1,841 casualties among persons whose ages were not known, with casualties for veterans of all ages totaling 38,399. By age, the updated percentages are: under age 22, 28.5%; ages 22 to 24, 26.1%; ages 25 to 30, 25.3%; ages 31 to 35, 10.2%; age 36 and over, 9.9%. Source: DOD, DMDC, Data Analysis and Programs Division.

  32. Julia Preston, “U.S. Military Will Offer Path to Citizenship,” New York Times, February 15, 2009. Thereafter, the slumping U.S. economy made for greater ease in meeting recruitment targets. See James Dao, “With Recruiting Goals Exceeded, Marines Toughen Their Ad Pitch.” New York Times, September 18, 2009.

  33. Veterans for America, American Veterans and Servicemembers Survival Guide, 2008, 25.

  34. The updated figures for casualties according to gender are: male, 98.1%; female, 1.9%. As of January 2, 2010, 20 women had lost their lives in Afghanistan and 104 in Iraq. Source: DOD, DMDC, Data Analysis and Programs Division.

  35. The updated casualty figures by race and ethnicity are: white, 77%; black, 8.2%; Hispanic, 6.6%; Asian/Pacific Islander, 2.3%; Native American/Alaskan, 1.1%; multi-racial, 4.8%. Source: DOD, DMDC, Data Analysis and Programs Division.

  36. Anita U. Hattiangadi et al., “Non-Citizens in Today’s Military,” Center for Naval Analyses, Alexandria, VA, April 2005. A more recent estimate places the number at 29,000. See Bryan Bender, “Foreigners Answer Call to U.S. Service,” Boston Globe, March 1, 2009.

  37. Veterans for America, Survival Guide, 575–76.

  38. The figures cited in this paragraph come from Veterans for America, “Trends in Treatment of America’s Wounded Warriors” (Washington, November 7, 2007): 3–4.

  Chapter 2: Enlistment and Patriotism

  1. Terrell Spencer Collection (AFC/001/57175), manuscript (MS01), VHP, AFC, LOC.

  2. Jeremy Lima Collection (AFC2001/001/53039), transcript (MS01), VHP, AFC, LOC.

  3. William Andrews Collection (AFC2001/001/42880), transcript (MS04), VHP, AFC, LOC.

  4. Telephone interview, April 30, 2007.

  5. Andrew Wells Collection (AFC2001/001/50457), video recording (MV01), VHP, AFC, LOC.

  6. Lizette Alvarez, “More Americans Join Military as Jobs Dwindle,” New York Times, January 19, 2009.

  7. Brandon Bass Collection (AFC2001/001/62664), transcript (MS04), VHP, AFC, LOC.

  8. Brian Coles Collection (AFC2001/001/41574), DVD (MV01), VHP, AFC, LOC. Photos taken by Coles during his two deployments are found in Chapter 6.

  9. This quotation is taken from an interview in the collection of the Pryor Center at the University of Arkansas and is used with permission.

  10. Matthew Neely Collection (AFC2001/001/29104), transcript (MS04), VHP, AFC, LOC.

  11. Phillip Geiger Collection (AFC2001/001/30333), transcript (MS04), VHP, AFC, LOC.

  12. Nicole Ferretti Collection (AFC2001/001/57083), transcript (MS04), VHP, AFC, LOC.

  13. “Warriors: What It Is Really Like to Be a Soldier in Iraq,” Public Broadcasting System, aired April 2007.

  14. Brian Aria Collection (AFC2001/001/50457), video recording (MV01), VHP, AFC, LOC.

  15. In Matthew Currier Burden, The Blog of War: Front-Line Dispatches from Soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan (New York: Simon and Schuster, 2006), 10.

  16. Basil Cofield Collection (AFC2001/001/60173), transcript (MS01), VHP, AFC, LOC.

  17. Gregory Schulte Collection, (AFC2001/001/30235), video recording (MV01), VHP, AFC, LOC.

  18. Jude Ferran Collection (AFC2001/001/30609), audio recording (SR01), VHP, AFC, LOC.

  19. Interview, Concord, New Hampshire, April 25, 2007.

  20. In Yvonne Latty, In Conflict: Iraq War Veterans Speak Out on Duty, Loss, and the Fight to Stay Alive (Sausalito, CA: PoliPointPress, 2006), 129.

  21. Shawn Molloy Collection (AFC2001/001/46283), audio recording (SR01), VHP, AFC, LOC.

  22. Patrick McGonigle III Collection (AFC2001/001/48161), video recording (MV01), VHP, AFC, LOC.

  23. Mark Warnecke Collection (AFC2001/001/34941), video recording (MV01), VHP, AFC, LOC.

  24. Timothy Rieger Collection (AFC2001/001/44622), video recording (MV01), VHP, AFC, LOC.

  25. Jay Czarga’s farewell letter to his family is reprinted in Burden, Blog of War, 20. His blog is located at www.themakahasurfreport.blogspot.com.

  26. Joseph Medina Collection (AFC2001/001/28619) video recording (MV01), VHP, AFC, LOC.

  27. Eric March Collection (AFC2001/001/43154) video recording (MV01), VHP, AFC, LOC.

  28. PBS, “Warriors,” in the PBS series “America at a Crossroads,” 2007.

  29. Interview, Concord, New Hampshire, April 26, 2007.

  30. Christopher Buser Collection (AFC2001/001/51140), video recording (MV01), VHP, AFC, LOC.

  31. Interview, Manchester, New Hampshire, May 9, 2007.

  32. Interview, Brighton, Massachusetts, May 2, 2007.

  33. Eric Giles Collection (AFC2001/001/58906), audio recording (SR01), VHP, AFC, LOC.

  34. Travis Fisher Collection (AFC2001/001/34140), video recording (MV01), VHP, AFC, LOC.

  35. Dana Canedy, A Journal for Jordan: A Story of Love and Honor (New York: Crown Publishers, 2008), 7.

  36. Interview, Concord, New Hampshire, May 16, 2007.

  37. Terrell Spencer Collection (AFC2001/001/57175), transcript (MS01), VHP, AFC, LOC.

  38. Julia Preston, “Sharp Rise Seen in Applications for Citizenship,” New York Times, July 5, 2007.

  39. Ferretti Collection, VHP.

  40. Latty, In Conflict, 178

  41. Michael Gordon, “U.S. Command Shortens Life of ‘Long War’ as a Reference,” New York Times, April 23, 2007.

  42. Associated Press, “Audit Finds Flaws in Terror Statistics,” New York Times, February 23, 2007. See also Lara Jakes Jordan, “FBI List on Terror Suspects Outdated, Incomplete, Audit Says,” Associated Press, March 18, 2008.

  43. Gordon, “U.S. Command Shortens Life.”

  Chapter 3: Politics and Professionalism

  1. Concord Monitor, September 30, 2006.

  2. Quotations from the New Hampshire National Guard Guard’s unpublished War on Terrorism History Project (March–September 2005) are made without attribution to individual veterans under ground rules agreed to by the author.

  3. Sarah Sewall and John P. White, “The Civil-Military Challenge,” Boston Globe, January 29, 2009.

  4. “Back from Battle: Student Veterans’ Perspectives on the Iraq War,” Yale Journal of International Affairs (Spring/Summer 2007): 137.

  5. Joelle Farrell, “Veterans Divided over War’s Politics,” Concord Monitor, October 1, 2006.

  6. Ralan Hill Collection (AFC2001/001/43145), transcript (MS01), VHP, AFC, LOC.

  7. Craig Keys Collection (AFC2001/001/39063), audio recording (SR01), VHP, AFC, LOC

  8. Matthew Smith Collection (AFC2001/001/52561), video recording (MV01), VHP, AFC, LOC.

  9. Farrell, “Veterans Divided.”

  10. Holland Carter, “Words Unspoken Are Rendered on War’s Faces,” New York Times, August 22, 2007.

  11. Ralph Riley Collection (AFC2001/001/43537), audio recording (SR01), VHP, AFC, LOC.

  12. “Warriors: What It Is Really Like to Be a Soldier in Iraq,” PBS, aired April 2007.

  13. Andrew Carroll, ed. Operation Homecoming: Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Home Front, in the Words of U.S. Troops and Their Families (New York: Random House, 2006), 156.

  14. Farre
ll, “Veterans Divided.”

  15. Quotations are taken from a transcript of The War Tapes, by Steve Pink, Zack Bazzi, and Mike Moriarty and used with their permission. The documentary, which aired in 2006, was directed by Deborah Scranton and produced by Robert May and Steve James (Senart Films, 2006).

  16. Ibid.

  17. Ibid.

  18. Eric Cox Collection (AFC2001/001/52703), transcript (MS04), VHP, AFC, LOC.

  19. In Damon DiMarco, Heart of War: Soldiers’ Voices from the Front Lines in Iraq (New York: Citadel Press Books, 2007), 38.

  20. Derek Sutton Collection (AFC2001/001/47344), audio recording (SR01), VHP, AFC, LOC.

  21. Mark Warnecke Collection (AFC2001/001/34941), video recording (MV01), VHP, AFC, LOC.

  22. Joshua Townsend Collection (AFC2001/001/39304), transcript (MS04), VHP, AFC, LOC.

  23. Pink, Bazzi, and Moriarty, The War Tapes.

  24. Carroll, Operation Homecoming, xxv.

  25. Pink, Bazzi, and Moriarty, The War Tapes.

  26. Farrell, “Veterans Divided.”

  27. In Matthew Currier Burden, The Blog of War: Front-Line Dispatches from Soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan (New York: Simon and Schuster, 2006), 255.

  28. Bradley Burd Collection (AFC2001/001/30269), video recording (MV01), VHP, AFC, LOC.

  29. James Welch Collection (AFC2001/001/29065), audio recording (SR01), VHP, AFC, LOC.

  30. Paul Gregory Mayfield Collection (AFC2001/001/60193), transcript (MS04), VHP, AFC, LOC.

  31. Michael Kamber, “As Allies Turn Foe, Disillusion Arises among Some G.I.’s,” New York Times, May 28, 2007.

  32. Pink, Bazzi, and Moriarty, The War Tapes.

  33. Ibid.