Memories from Iraq

An first-hand alternative to the common view that "nothing's working in Iraq."

An AP Member Exchange
By BRANDON QUESTER
Wyoming Tribune Eagle

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — The cost of change is great.

Trevor Harris knows that first hand.

The sacrifices he saw in Iraq as part of last year’s “surge” — which continues — are not something that he or anyone in his unit took lightly.

The Cheyenne native recently returned from his second tour in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He was one of the thousands of service members called back to be part of the effort launched in February of 2007.

Harris was a U.S. Army sergeant serving with the 3rd Infantry Division, 3rd Brigade, 115th Infantry Battalion. As such, he was sent to one of the worst areas in the country to squelch violence from insurgents and other desperate individuals willing to do anything to keep the country unstable.

During his time in Iraq, Harris said he lost at least a dozen friends.

“It’s expected when you go over there,” he said. “You know that the guys you’re going over there with, some of them ain’t coming back.”

But knowing that something eventually will happen, or even expecting it to happen, does not make losing a friend any easier, he said.

“It’s not like your friend passed away from an illness or something,” he said. “When your friends get shot in the head or are blown to pieces by an IED, it’s a lot different.”

At the same time, Harris said he witnessed the progress that the hike in U.S. troop presence was designed to accomplish. “When we got there, this was one of the worst areas of southeast Baghdad,” Harris said. “It was horrible. Al Qaeda had strongholds there; other insurgents had strongholds there.

“I probably couldn’t even give you an accurate number of how many terrorists we killed in that area, but it was a lot.”

Harris said the area was filled with rubble and trash and was riddled with bullet holes. Their job was to “hunt down bad guys” and dispose of munitions caches.

In the end, he says, the effort turned the southeastern part of Baghdad into one of the safest and most prosperous areas.

Harris said that the last time he “rolled through” on his way out of the country, the area had erupted with life and commerce.

He said there were so many people out and about, selling things and mingling, that one vehicle barely could pass through at a time.

Harris said he did not even know the area had that many people. He said buildings had been rebuilt and repainted and there were even picnic tables and benches.

This turnaround, he said, was one of the most rewarding aspects of his tour. He said it made the sacrifices they had made worth it. He added that the surge is working.

Harris said Gen. David Petraeus, the commanding officer managing the additional 30,000 U.S. forces, wanted the military living in the towns and cities with the people, “where the action was.”

But living in a region ravaged by corruption and insurgency was no easy task.

“A lot of the town’s people might have liked us,” Harris said. “But say if somebody from Al Qaeda comes along and offers them $1,000 to plant an IED (improvised explosive device), they don’t have any money, they (are) living in poverty. They’re gonna do it because of the money.”

Harris recalled how his unit arrested two children, 15 and 16 years old, who had planted an IED that exploded near one of their Humvees.

“It didn’t do much damage, but it’s still an intent to kill a soldier,” Harris said. “So we had to arrest them. They’re just kids trying to make some money, but they don’t have any other way to do it.”

Harris said it also was common to learn during interrogations that people were forced to kill as many Americans as they could. He said the people were warned that if they did not comply, their family members would be kidnapped and killed.

“It was hard to tell who your friends were because there are no uniforms; there’s no obvious bad guys,” Harris said. “They could be just walking through the crowd, and you wouldn’t even know it.

“It definitely makes it harder to do your job when you don’t know who the bad guys are.”

Still, Harris said, they were able to gain friendships with those just trying to get by.
He said there was a family whose home bordered their combat outpost, and they became friends.

Harris said the unit helped to fix the father’s tractor and even ran a line of electricity to the home. He said the man’s wife would bring the soldiers tea and flatbread.

Harris said they could not understand each other because of language barriers, but he knew that the man and his family appreciated the small favors that he and his fellow soldiers provided.

And it is situations such as this, Harris said, that happen all across the country. He said not everyone is trying to kill Americans, and it was nice to help out families that got caught in the middle.

Such relationships helped Harris and his fellow soldiers to turn the town around. And that, he said, is why it is important to continue the missions — to keep fighting for the same things their fellow fallen soldiers were fighting for.

“So his death didn’t mean nothing,” he said. “It means something.”

Harris said it is important that people in America understand that there are good things happening in Iraq. He added that what you see on the television or read in a newspaper are not always the total truth.

He himself hasn’t watched television once since his return in May.

His focus is now on his family. He is trying to make up for lost time and the two wedding anniversaries he missed while deployed.

Still, Harris said he is proud of what he accomplished while serving his country. He added that it was an experience that made him appreciate his life in the United States.

But he also has left the military now and does not plan on serving again. He said he has done his part — and a little more.

“I don’t want to go back,” he said. “I just want to go on and be a normal guy and get back to a normal life.”

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Information from: Wyoming Tribune Eagle, http://www.wyomingnews.com