Serving in Iraq - a Soldier's Story that Many Will Never Understand

The Story of SGT Josh M. Spaulding Serving in Iraq During the Initial Invasion

I had just gotten over the initial shock of leaving my family and friends behind to live in Germany. I was a little depressed but very excited, as I knew I had a huge adventure ahead of me. The rumors had been flying

around for weeks that the unit would be deploying soon and we were sure of it. Finally, one day in late February the entire battalion was called into the auditorium of our home base in Babenhausen, Germany. The news was exactly what we had thought. We were told that our unit had received orders to deploy to Iraq in support of the operation that would later be called 'Operation Iraqi Freedom 1'.

From that day on, we eagerly worked to get ourselves and our equipment fully mission capable. Just about every Soldier in the Battalion was full of excitement but a little worrisome as well. It was somewhat of a teeter-totter of emotions. One minute excited and ready, the other, depressed and worried.

We were told to keep operational security at a high state, so we could not give details to family and friends. All we could say was "I'll be leaving Germany for a while and you may not hear from me for some time". It was pretty obvious where we were going as the situation in the Middle East was all over the news. But, for some reason, the limited information made it that much more emotional.

After a few short weeks of heavy preparation, the date of departure arrived. On March 9^th, 2003 we jumped aboard a jet with our M16's and full battle rattle and headed toward the Middle East. The flight was one of the movies. I'll never forget the looks that we received from the civilian flight crew. The looks were those of the deepest form of pride but sorrow as well. It was almost like they thought we would never come back.

After the most awkward flight of my life, we landed in Kuwait City where we would pick up our equipment and prepare for a four daylong convoy into Baghdad. I will never forget the suffocating temperature change when I stepped out of the jet and inhaled a lung full of harsh desert air, the air I would breath for exactly one year.