Soccer-ball soldier found support in Iraq
Editor’s note: Vocal Point writer Don Harding’s son Jerry recently returned from a year of military service in Iraq. While there, Jerry Harding started a program that collected hundreds of soccer balls from Spokane area residents for Iraqi children. In the meantime, his father wrote about the sense of unreality that set in when he heard his son was being shipped off, his fears about his son’s safety, and Jerry Harding’s close calls. Those columns and more can be found at www.spokesmanreview.com/sections/harding.
Sending your son to a year in an Army combat unit in Iraq is like entering a long, foreboding tunnel.
The “tunnel entrance” for my family came on a cold, windy day last November. The “tunnel exit” came on an unseasonably beautiful day recently when five soldiers, dressed in desert fatigues walked off a Horizon flight into the Spokane airport. My son Jerry, thank God, was one of them.
Their flight home was symbolic of the unwavering support in our corner of the world for the troops that rises above our individual stances on the war itself. A family handed $100 to the returning soldiers in Seattle just to say “have a good time on us.” Another man left money to “buy a round.” Passengers cheered as they exited the plane first. Media coverage added to the festive scene.
As a Vietnam-era veteran, seeing the difference in his treatment, I had to fight back a little emotion when a lady came up to tell me, “You should be so proud of your son.”
Waiting for his bags, questions came quickly about life “inside the tunnel” of Iraq duty. Here’s what my son replied:
How did the Iraqi people receive you?
“About 75 percent of the people understand why we are there. They just want to go about their lives. About 20 percent of the Iraqis really don’t want us there but are not actively involved in getting us to leave. The other 5 percent are the insurgents you read about.”
The insurgent that you helped after he attacked your convoy – what happened to him?
“We took him to the FOB hospital. Eventually he was put on trial in Baghdad in an Iraqi court with an Iraqi judge. Two of our troops were flown in as witnesses. He was given a sentence of 30 years in an Iraqi prison.”
The biggest danger was IEDs (improvised explosive devices). How did the insurgents deploy them?
“Broken-down cars are everywhere. Insurgents would fake car trouble while leaving the IED on the ground, quickly covering it with dirt or brush. It takes just 30 seconds to two minutes to do the plant.”
What training would you advise others headed to Iraq to concentrate on?
“Get all the practice time you can with the Humvee. Your skill there really matters.”
You helped start a program to bring soccer balls and toys to Iraqi children. What did you find out?
“That boys will be boys and they had no problem pushing to the front. The little Iraqi girls were so shy. Receiving something, seeing them smile was special. Kids were everywhere, especially by the base, waving and asking troops for things. When they weren’t present, it was a bad sign.”
What’s more dangerous –daytime missions or nighttime missions?
“Daytime. Insurgents seem to keep office hours. At nighttime, we run our Humvees with the lights off and use our night-vision goggles for navigation. It’s just more peaceful.”
The biggest tension breaker you remember?
“There had been three road checkpoint suicide attacks this one day. Everyone was on edge. Our team came upon a suspicious abandoned truck with bags piled alongside along with protruding wires.
“Our explosives team was deployed elsewhere. We moved forward to check it out when word came down to take it out with a Hellfire missile from an Apache helicopter. It turned out it was a guy from a neighboring village who really just had car trouble.
“When he came back with help to repair his vehicle, he found just a charred tire. It turned out well when the driver was paid handsomely for his vehicle.”
Most memorable guy you met?
“An Iraqi had been given a prison sentence for insurgent activity. Upon his release, he just wanted to take care of his kids, but with the bad economy, work was so hard for him to find.
“His former insurgents wanted him to ‘return to duty,’ but he refused. He just felt differently now. I think highly of him; he was a good man.”
Any regrets?
If we didn’t have to spend so much time on security issues, we could do so much more rebuilding Iraq’s infrastructure.
What will you remember most?
“Awesome sunsets and sunrises. The kids. The total support from back home.”
As my family exited the airport, a parking lot gate wouldn’t open, blocking us in.
Laughing while we waited patiently for the attendant to free us, I felt like we had all the time in the world.