ITS PRETTY SIMPLE

On Oct. 29, I learned that my unit was to be deployed to Iraq for a year and a half and I had three weeks to prepare my Grand Junction life for the absence. The Wednesday before Thanksgiving was my last day at work. After months of preparation and planning, my unit flew into Kuwait on February 9, 2004. My tour is going to last approximately a year and a half.

Why do I do this part-time job? This question has never been easier to answer...

The most striking contrast between the two adjacent countries is that people in Kuwait look healthy. Although separated by only 100 miles, southern Iraqi people are thin, drawn and there isn’t a mile that goes by that there isn’t a child begging for food and water on the roadside in ragged, dirty clothing. This is the result of no jobs and no agriculture existing for many years...

Why do I do this part-time job? Because I have the opportunity to make a difference.