Photo By Staff Sgt. Lyndsey Prax | Spc. Richard Lindenbusch, gunner with 4th Platoon, Company A, 1st Battalion, 14th...... read more read more
By Pfc. Lyndsey Dransfield
Multi-National Division - Baghdad
CAMP TAJI, Iraq – Most people go through a daily routine. Whether it is in a career, as a student or even as a parent, they traverse through life in the best possible manner, hoping to simplify things along the way.
Along those same lines, Soldiers in Tarmiyah, an area located northwest of Baghdad, seek the same simplicity. On a preplanned basis, they rotate through the vital duties of pulling base security, checkpoint security, patrolling the streets of Tarmiyah and serving as the quick reaction force.
While the Soldiers have succeeded in performing their missions during the rotations, they have also witnessed Tarmiyah gradually change from a city torn by war and violence to a city full of possibility and growth.
"We're not just out here to protect ourselves. We're also here to protect the people," said Spc. Daniel Twomey. "We are here trying to rebuild this city and make it better than what it was when we got here," he added.
Twomey, a native of Festus, Mo., is an infantry team leader with 3rd Platoon, Company A, 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment "Golden Dragons," 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division – Baghdad.
A mere three years ago, Twomey was living life as a husband, father and college student. Like most hardworking parents or spouses, he was searching for the best course of action to support his growing family, a course that would lead him to an Army recruiter's office, where he signed up for the infantry. Although service in not necessarily for everyone, but Twomey decided that the Army was the best option for him and his family.
"The aspects of this job are simple, but you have to be smart to do it to be good at it," Twomey said. "Even though it doesn't require a lot, it's important to have leadership skills," he added, declaring that the leadership skills he's obtaining as a Soldier will benefit him beyond military life.
After completing his initial training with the Army, one month after arriving to his first unit, Twomey was deployed to the Philippines for four months. While he was immediately asked to leave his Family behind, he maintained a positive outlook, a mindset that he attributes to those who have mentored him along the way.
"[My leaders] have been a huge influence in my military life as well as my personal life," Twomey said. "They have taught me that you can be a leader and a friend, but that you have to teach your Soldiers and not just lead them. Knowledge is power, and the more you know, the better you will be at your job," he added.
Twomey is awaiting promotion to become a sergeant and said he hopes that as he rises in rank, it will also help him progress in reaching his life's goals as well.
"I am here for my family," Twomey said. "My wife and kids have been so supportive, and I want them to look up to me. I want to be a great Soldier for them," he added.
Encountering and overcoming the many challenges and stressors that he and his fellow Soldiers have dealt with in Iraq, Twomey said he realizes the importance that comes with learning to rise above ordeals. He knows that such experience will be helpful to his family in the future and is certainly beneficial to his unit's mission now.
"It's a physically as well as a mentally stressing job," Twomey said. "But our job [as infantrymen] is specifically important because we are the boots on the ground," he added, drawing attention to his unit comrades.
The downtime is always a welcome relief as these troops have endured many trials during their time here, including losing a fellow Soldier in that span. However, the rough spots have done nothing short of edifying the men, bringing them closer than they ever thought possible.
Twomey marvels at how well he has been treated by his leaders, his peers, his friends, adding that he does the best he can to reciprocate what they give him.
"I have tried really hard, and I don't want to go home and say 'Man, I'm a big dirt bag,'" Twomey said. "With these guys treating me this way, helping me along my way and not trying to keep me down, I want to try to do the same to the next Soldiers that come up after me. I want them to say 'He knew his stuff.'"
He said he also wants his wife and children to look up to him as well and view him as a good Soldier. Beyond being a good Soldier, Twomey hopes to one day fill the same mentorship role as his leaders and apply the skills they've taught him as his own.
"I want to be a leader and a friend. I want my Soldiers to come and talk to me," Twomey said, noting that as much as his comrades have influenced him, family is his driving force. "I have to tell my wife and kids I love them so much. My wife has been nothing but supportive, and I appreciate her. She and my children are a huge influence, and I do this for them."
While Twomey's cause as a husband and father is noble, and while his path as a Soldier seems clear, for some of the other Soldiers in his unit, life's journey wasn't always so defined.
"I wouldn't have ever pictured myself here a few years ago, and now I can't imagine doing anything else," said Pfc. Chris Carpe, a Glastonbury, Conn., native, who serves as a gunner with 4th Pltn., Co. A, 1st Bn., 14th Inf. Regt.
Although Carpe and his buddies may not be able to imagine doing anything more than being a Soldier, doing unimaginable and heroic things are what U.S. Soldiers have done throughout our nation's history. That reputation and those standards aren't lost on the troops in Tarmiyah, and it is something they strive to maintain.
"It's more than just wearing the uniform and serving your country," Carpe said. "It's about the job you do and the guys you're with."
The "guys" watch the sun rise and the sun set in Tarmiyah as they count the days until they return home. Until that time, they will stick to their training, continually learn from each other and watch each other's backs.
Although Twomey, Carpe and the rest of the young men will return home without one of their buddies, their friend's memories are safely etched in their hearts and minds. When the last of their troops have left Tarmiyah, be it in person or in spirit, all of these fine Soldiers will return home with honor.
| Date Taken: | 11.05.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 11.05.2008 10:46 |
| Story ID: | 25949 |
| Location: | TAJI, IQ |
| Web Views: | 709 |
| Downloads: | 607 |
This work, Soldiers in Tarmiyah provide 'for common defense' - Troops 'promote general welfare' of each other, by SSG Lyndsey Prax, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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