Washington Week: Student Voices (O)

COLUMN: Veteran brings war experience to Sonoma State U.
By Adrienne Smith
Sonoma State Star (Sonoma State U.)
12/29/2006

(U-WIRE) ROHNERT PARK, Calif. — Upon joining my friend for a cocktail, I was introduced to her friend, Julie Meyer. I had no clue what I was in store for. In the hours to follow I came to find out that she is a former Marine, currently a member of the Army National Guard, and a fellow Sonoma State University student. If that wasn't enough, she served in the Middle East during this unfortunate and what seems like never-ending war, which our country is involved in. In listening to her talk, I was overwhelmed thinking, "This is remarkable; how could I not know that someone who attends my school has served my country? If I don't know, it's possible others don't."

I had millions of questions — more than I could rattle off in one sitting. When she agreed to do the interview, I knew I had bit off more than I could chew, but wanted to attempt to tell her story as best I could. With the media only giving us certain images to digest, I saw it as an opportunity to tell a war story from a firsthand account.

Meyer is currently a history major here at SSU and is still with the Army National Guard. She joined the Marines at 17, when she was still in high school. My first question, being the pansy I am, was: Why?

"I decided when I was 14 that I wanted to be a Marine. That organization has so much pride and tradition, and I really wanted to be a part of it," she said.

When Meyer joined the Marines, the United States hadn't decided to go to war yet; it was 1996. In 2002, she joined the Army National Guard and in November 2004 she was sent to Iraq.

"Once I was told that my unit was being sent, after the initial shock, I stopped asking questions because when you enlist, you have to understand that you can be sent to war. The army wasn't created for college money; it was created to protect our country," she said.

Meyer's courageous attitude about being sent to war wasn't exactly shared by her family, she explained.

"They were all pretty nervous about it, since I am an only child, so I had to smile and make them think that I wasn't scared." She was sent to the city of Kirkuk, Iraqi Kurdistan, part of northern Iraq. She was given no estimated time of when she'd be departing, just told that it would be about a year until she would be going home. Meyer described the lands as having "occasional stands of eucalyptus trees" that were few and far apart, and no rivers or streams past the Tigris and Euphrates.

So, what is Iraq like in general? Since I have never gotten to hear it firsthand, from an eyewitness no less, I took this chance to ask Meyer, and she was very descriptive.

"During the winter, it got cold enough to snow. I was working outside all day wearing polypropylene undergarments, a fleece jacket, Gortex top and bottom, fleece-lined gloves, and a hat under my helmet. During the summer, it got up to 135 degrees and I was working outside between six to 10 hours every day, wearing long sleeves and pants, heavy boots, a heavy helmet and body armor."

Meyer described weather conditions as being "pretty miserable." Extreme weather, no trees or rivers, in a country in the middle of a war, sounds like hell on earth to me; it's hard to even visualize. Emotionally, it's got to be the worst predicament: Fear, sadness, loneliness, anxiety, fatigue — just to name a few that come to mind. Not to mention how the sights and sounds would affect you; being away from anything familiar and not being able to choose how you want to spend your day — I would be in agony.

"You get desensitized to mortar attacks after a while, so in that respect, it wasn't very scary there. However, for weeks after I returned home, I would jump every time I heard a loud bang, like a door slamming, because it reminded me of rocket attacks and the like. The scariest part was the day I drove across the Kuwait/Iraq border, because British troops had taken fire there the day before. As for being homesick, the only thing I really missed was my freedom. It's hard having to be that alert for so long; it's exhausting," Meyer said.

Her job was security and sniper watch, and power generator repairer, which she said meant, "I am basically an electrician who can fix a diesel engine." Additionally, she was given extra medical training as a combat lifesaver. In fact, Meyer said the most rewarding aspect of going was "getting to help some of the Kurdish people who lived in the area. Since I am a combat lifesaver — I carry a large first aid bag and can give IVs — people would occasionally bring their children to me for basic medical care."

The question, among countless others burning in my mind, was simply: what did an average day consist of?

"I would have to meet my squad at 5:45 a.m. We ran the gate that the Iraqis entered the base through. We were in charge of a gun tower, a quick response vehicle and the 'suicide gate.' The suicide gate was where I preferred to stand watch: our duty was to make sure no taxi made it past us, with any means possible, since taxis are notorious for carrying vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices (VBIED)," Meyer described.

After 11 months in Iraq, Meyer was sent home in October 2005, unwounded, having never had to be in combat, and most importantly still alive. As American civilians here we watch the news and read the paper, but only know as much as we are allowed to. Opinions are based on the limited information given to us and unless you seek out other news sources, one can only make assumptions of what is truly happening over there. The well being of U.S. soldiers and their conditions from their perspective is not considered quite as "newsworthy" as images of terrorism. Keep in mind that these troops for the most part are our peers, close in age and from similar backgrounds to that of our own.

According to CNN, the U.S. death toll reached 2,000 in October 2005, the same time Meyer was sent home. Her dedication to this country is in a word, astonishing. I am thankful for her willingness to share her story and that she is home safely. In a war full of controversy, one that I don't particularly agree with, I am still grateful to our troops and the sacrifice they made.

"I learned exactly how much stress I can take. I learned that not all Iraqis hate us, and in fact, some of them — like the Kurds in the north — are actually happy we are there. The Kurds are wonderful people and I wish we could do more to help them in their struggle for their own lands," said Meyer of what she learned and the people she encountered while stationed in Iraq.

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