Last night I joined some former coworkers for drinks. One friend brought her sister-in-law, Dawn, because they had been out shopping together. I thought the night was going to just be laughs about a former evil boss and everyone catching up on each other lives. It turns out Dawn had much more to share.
I had remembered that she had gone to Iraq as a Marine. So I asked about it casually. I hadn't met her before and it was really the only thing I knew about her. I was making conversation. But I guess asking about Iraq is not like asking someone about their trip to Florida.
Dawn was in Iraq for 7 months in 2004. She had been in Ramadi, Iraq for most of her deployment. I don't have a chronological tale of her stay there but little snippets shared. Snippets were enough to freak me out.
They traveled to Ramadi for 3 days straight. She was in something like a Hummer standing up in gun turret. Half of her body was exposed. They had no armor or anything encasing the outside of her to save her life. She said that now those vehicles have been retrofitted with shields of some kind but back then they didn't have anything.
Here is where I am going to sound like a complete wimp. She had to stand for 3 days in this turret thing. I asked about a bed. She looked at me like I was insane. She explained again. She had to stand up for 3 days while the vehicles moved. She had a strap holding up her gun that she could sit on occasionally and her and other soldiers had rigged some of their slim bedding mattress around the strap to make it slightly more comfortable. But she wasn't really suppose to sit. She was suppose to stand the whole time.
Because they could not go to the bathroom, the guys were crapping into their hands and throwing it to the side of the road. My mouth dropped open in shock. She had her period. She said that being only one of two women with this unit, she could not really ask to stop and change her tampon. She said she didn't need guys telling her this is just one more reason women shouldn't be in the military. She didn't exactly explain how she got through this part. But on the third day, she had a soldier not trained for this position fill in for a second so she could go under a bridge in her words "take care of her business." She did not have her period the rest of her time in Iraq.
Okay, she survived those 3 days of hell. Then, at some point they moved into a Saddam mansion in Ramadi so living circumstances were not too bad. At one point, guys had a camera in the women's bathroom where they took showers. She talked to her superior about it. Nothing could or would be done. They were overseas. "What were they going to do, write someone up?" she said. "It is meaningless when your base is getting shot at all the time."
She said they trained Iraqi's to be policemen. It didn't work. They would get through bootcamp and throw off their uniforms because they couldn't get along with the Shia or Sunni people they were working with. When she was there, Iraqi's were glad Saddam was gone and they were not yet sure if Americans were good to have there or not. She emphasized how they are just normal everyday people who want to live their lives but they hold so tightly to their religion when everything else around them is falling apart.
She expressed a lot of frustration that the borders of Iraq had not been secured. She saw it as a very critical issue that allowed all of these people from nearby countries to come in and fight the Americans. She said these people would kick Iraqi's out of their homes and tell to join the fight or go.
Dawn is completely against the war. 3 days prior to knowing she would be deployed she had written a 12 page paper explaining why going to war in Iraq was not acceptable. And then she had to go.
Fortunately, because she had already served enough time prior to going, she was able to get out of the military. She said it has been two years since she has returned and she is finally getting back to feeling like herself. She said her relationship with her husband was still not the same.
I could see the pain in her eyes as she talked about her experiences. I could see her passion wanting the war to end. She doesn't know what they were fighting for. Neither do I.
It was a much more powerful story hearing it in person. I just had to share. Partially to let it go from my mind.