Annie
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Thought this was illuminating:
http://www.desertdispatch.com/cgi-bin/newspro/viewnews.cgi?newsid1082900423,81939,
Sunday, April 25, 2004
Hesperia soldier says Iraq tour was eye-opening
Bryan Neice says most Iraqis still welcome America's presence
By GRETCHEN LOSI/Staff Writer
HESPERIA -- What a year for Bryan Neice.
He was shot at, endured mortar fire, rewired a dictator's palace, found compassion for a war-torn country and disappointment for the American media.
Most importantly, he became a man, according to his mother, Vada Neice.
"It was definitely a learning experience that I will never forget," the Hesperia resident said of his time in Iraq.
Army Specialist Neice of the 51st Airborne Signal Battalion in Iraq, was serving with U.S. Army Rangers as well as Special Forces alongside his best friend, Specialist Justin Jacobsen, who he described as his "brother."
The two said they are glad to be home but angered by the way certain things have been handled, primarily by the media.
"CNN only airs what they want you to see," said Jacobsen. "I finally told my mom to stop watching, because it wasn't true."
Neice said the reality of a soldier's life in Iraq is quite the opposite from what is seen on the evening news.
"When we go through town, the crowds are cheering, crying, thanking us, giving us all thumbs up," Neice said.
Neice said the support from the locals in Baghdad was "at least 95 percent." He said the media is "wrong" and that the picture they are depicting for Americans is inaccurate.
"Americans need to know the truth. They (Iraqis) want us there. The support we got from locals was unreal," said Neice. "Sure, there are small pockets of resistance, but it's rare."
Neice wasn't immune from those pockets. During his first four months of duty in Balad, he was shot at by a local with an AK-47, and he said his nightly lullaby was the deafening sound of mortar attacks.
He laughed as he told the story of the shooting to parents and friends.
"It was during my first four months on guard duty. I was on top of a building playing my Game Boy (video game), when I felt a zip-zip from an AK-47 go over my head. ... We were 100 yards from the line and it was nothing but gunfire. We were all being shot at," he said.
That was his introduction to the war.
His next stop was Baghdad where his unit ran "every cable imaginable" including power, telephone and computer through Saddam Hussein's palace, now dubbed Camp Victory, by joint forces.
"We ran the cable in and out of the palace and turned it into one big communication center," said Neice.
As a result, Camp Victory is now the largest Multiple Subscriber Equipment and Coalition Command Center in Iraq, used by all U.S. allies including Romania, Korea, and Britain, Neice said.
The palace, Neice said, is extravagant beyond comprehension.
"It was huge, bedrooms everywhere, secret rooms everywhere, everything was hand painted, everything was marble, gold artwork was scripted and carved into the walls," said Neice.
He said the contrast between the decadent palace and the way locals had to live was extreme.
Neice said, "You'd walk out of the palace and into the streets and see the mud huts the locals had to live in. It was horrible. I've never seen such poverty. I still don't understand how (Saddam) had a following. To think that people still die for him."
"It really affected him," said Vada Neice. "Our son wasn't angry at Baghdad. He would call home asking us 'How could he (Saddam) do this to these people?' "
Bryan Neice added, "You don't know how fortunate you are, or how much you really have until you get out and see what others don't have."
The Neice family has an unbroken military record that Neice said can be traced back to the American Revolution.
"The unbroken lineage of military service defines us as a family," said Neice's father, Bill.
Vada Neice said her son found a new pride in his country while in Baghdad. She said, "When he got back to the states, he called me and said 'Mom! Mom! I love the USA!' I thought that was so cool."
Neice left for Kuwait on April 1, 2003. After spending over a year in Iraq, he is home on leave for 30 days before heading back to Fort Bragg, N.C. where he will train for 10 months before facing war-torn Iraq once again
http://www.desertdispatch.com/cgi-bin/newspro/viewnews.cgi?newsid1082900423,81939,
Sunday, April 25, 2004
Hesperia soldier says Iraq tour was eye-opening
Bryan Neice says most Iraqis still welcome America's presence
By GRETCHEN LOSI/Staff Writer
HESPERIA -- What a year for Bryan Neice.
He was shot at, endured mortar fire, rewired a dictator's palace, found compassion for a war-torn country and disappointment for the American media.
Most importantly, he became a man, according to his mother, Vada Neice.
"It was definitely a learning experience that I will never forget," the Hesperia resident said of his time in Iraq.
Army Specialist Neice of the 51st Airborne Signal Battalion in Iraq, was serving with U.S. Army Rangers as well as Special Forces alongside his best friend, Specialist Justin Jacobsen, who he described as his "brother."
The two said they are glad to be home but angered by the way certain things have been handled, primarily by the media.
"CNN only airs what they want you to see," said Jacobsen. "I finally told my mom to stop watching, because it wasn't true."
Neice said the reality of a soldier's life in Iraq is quite the opposite from what is seen on the evening news.
"When we go through town, the crowds are cheering, crying, thanking us, giving us all thumbs up," Neice said.
Neice said the support from the locals in Baghdad was "at least 95 percent." He said the media is "wrong" and that the picture they are depicting for Americans is inaccurate.
"Americans need to know the truth. They (Iraqis) want us there. The support we got from locals was unreal," said Neice. "Sure, there are small pockets of resistance, but it's rare."
Neice wasn't immune from those pockets. During his first four months of duty in Balad, he was shot at by a local with an AK-47, and he said his nightly lullaby was the deafening sound of mortar attacks.
He laughed as he told the story of the shooting to parents and friends.
"It was during my first four months on guard duty. I was on top of a building playing my Game Boy (video game), when I felt a zip-zip from an AK-47 go over my head. ... We were 100 yards from the line and it was nothing but gunfire. We were all being shot at," he said.
That was his introduction to the war.
His next stop was Baghdad where his unit ran "every cable imaginable" including power, telephone and computer through Saddam Hussein's palace, now dubbed Camp Victory, by joint forces.
"We ran the cable in and out of the palace and turned it into one big communication center," said Neice.
As a result, Camp Victory is now the largest Multiple Subscriber Equipment and Coalition Command Center in Iraq, used by all U.S. allies including Romania, Korea, and Britain, Neice said.
The palace, Neice said, is extravagant beyond comprehension.
"It was huge, bedrooms everywhere, secret rooms everywhere, everything was hand painted, everything was marble, gold artwork was scripted and carved into the walls," said Neice.
He said the contrast between the decadent palace and the way locals had to live was extreme.
Neice said, "You'd walk out of the palace and into the streets and see the mud huts the locals had to live in. It was horrible. I've never seen such poverty. I still don't understand how (Saddam) had a following. To think that people still die for him."
"It really affected him," said Vada Neice. "Our son wasn't angry at Baghdad. He would call home asking us 'How could he (Saddam) do this to these people?' "
Bryan Neice added, "You don't know how fortunate you are, or how much you really have until you get out and see what others don't have."
The Neice family has an unbroken military record that Neice said can be traced back to the American Revolution.
"The unbroken lineage of military service defines us as a family," said Neice's father, Bill.
Vada Neice said her son found a new pride in his country while in Baghdad. She said, "When he got back to the states, he called me and said 'Mom! Mom! I love the USA!' I thought that was so cool."
Neice left for Kuwait on April 1, 2003. After spending over a year in Iraq, he is home on leave for 30 days before heading back to Fort Bragg, N.C. where he will train for 10 months before facing war-torn Iraq once again
