Shipping Out - Again
An Army Reserve Unit prepares to Head to Iraq--proudly, but not without doubts
DEVENS, MASS.--They file in, eyes cast down, camouflage caps in their left hands. Many look like kids, with their fresh new buzz cuts and uniforms that haven't yet been lived in. As they pass their families, some can't resist making faces, or grinning self-consciously. It is the farewell ceremony for these reservists, a transportation company on its way to Iraq for 18 months. Some have been there before and know they have one of the most dangerous missions in the country. Many have stopped watching the news, which is filled these days with either reports of soldier deaths or antiwar protests. Their company commander, Capt. Lance Oliver, gives the final speech, in which he captures the crosscurrents of this particular moment in American history. "Many in our country believe we should not be in Iraq, but a soldier does not ask these questions," he says. "We have our opinions, but that is not why we are here. We are here because our country called us and because we are patriots."
It is always difficult when soldiers leave for war, a time filled with tears, pride, and unmentionable anxieties. These 175 men and women are certainly patriots. What they are giving up is immeasurable--children's birthdays, relationships, time away from the rest of their lives. But for these citizen-soldiers, their departure is doubly difficult, coming at a moment when the public mood toward the war has soured, when many--their compatriots, their families, sometimes even themselves--question the value of their sacrifice. Polls show growing disapproval of the president's handling of the war in Iraq. Army recruitment is falling short of its annual goal. Guard and Reserve members, once known as "weekend warriors" for their commitment of one weekend a month and two weeks per year, now account for 40 percent of the 138,000 troops on duty in Iraq. Military officials worry about whether these troop levels are sustainable, with next year expected to be the toughest recruiting year yet. "What keeps me awake at night is, what will this all-volunteer force look like in 2007?" Gen. Richard A. Cody, Army vice chief of staff, asked at a Senate hearing earlier this year.
The 220th is but one unit in hundreds of similar units, marching in a farewell ceremony replicated in small towns and communities all around the country. Spc. Justin Derr is 19 and has a crooked, cocky grin. He and his best friend, Spc. Arron McLaughlin, both enlisted just after Sept. 11, 2001. They were juniors in high school then, in East Hampton, Conn., and didn't know what else to do. Now they are older, and have started their lives. Justin just proposed to his girlfriend; when he comes back, he wants to become a firefighter in South Boston. Arron thinks about being a cop. They are "20 percent scared, 80 percent excited" about going over to Iraq. They take pride in the fact they were singled out to train as gunners on the humvees. But they also have questions. "I don't agree with the war, but I'm in the military, and I was told to go," says Derr. "I just wish we were going to Afghanistan instead--they're the ones who caused 343 firefighters to die on 9/11."
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