INTERVIEW WITH STACEY PAETH
Stacey� son, Justin, is with the Army� 1st Armored Division.
Stacey: Justin enlisted after high school when he was 19. He trained as a mechanic and went into Iraq after the initial invasion in May, 2003. He� 21 now and a Private First Class.
In Iraq his unit lost two soldiers to suicide and he� been involved in two ambushes. During the first ambush all his personal belongings were destroyed in a vehicle fire.
In November last year he came home for two weeks vacation. He� lost a lot of weigh and he was quiet and withdraw. His friends were home from college for Thanksgiving and I could tell Justin wanted just to be one of the guys but it was hard for him. He� changed a lot.
He returned to combat after his vacation and in February he was caught in a second ambush. This time the humvee he was in collapsed around him in an explosion and his legs were pinned. When he was pulled from the crushed vehicle his Achilles tendon ruptured.
Justin had a cast on that leg up to his thigh and he was given lighter duty. Still, he couldn� maneuver with such a large cast they removed the upper portion.
When troop deployments were extended in March (2004) his division was given another ninety days. He was still in a cast when they sent him to fight in Fallujah after the four military contractors were ambushed there.
When he asked why he was still fighting despite the injury and the cast, his leaders told him he had � good trigger finger.�/p>
Generally Justin is a strong fellow. He doesn� complain about things or whine but when he called me at home the first time after he was injured, I heard in his voice how traumatized he was. I heard something I� never heard before: despair. I knew nothing about the injury at all until he told me. I was dismayed at that: surely his family, his mother should have known he was hurt?
He also called me twice when I was in my office at work, something he� never done before. He told me he had no agility, that he wasn� able to defend himself or his fellow combatants with the injury, that he was losing his sharpness as a soldier, that it was just a matter of time before something bad happens
At that point I started talking to other people and contacting groups. Then I interviewed with NBC television and I spoke of Justin� predicament: fighting with a cast on his leg.
One of the doctors in my workplace saw the show and he told me that Justin shouldn� be in combat. He said, �e�l have your son out in 48 hours.�/p>
The very next day Justin called me to say he was out of Fallujah and on his way to Germany via Kuwait. This was the day before his 21st birthday. He bought himself a digital camera and sent me a picture. He looked so relieved.
I� not for this war but my other son, Robert, nineteen years old, is a Marine. He and I have differing opinions and we�e agreed not to talk about it. He� currently serving in Okinawa and I hope will not be deployed to Iraq.
When Justin was removed from combat, Robert said, �� glad you spoke out publicly and got Justin out of there. Seeing what� going on over there makes me sick.�/p>
Meanwhile, Justin is back on an empty base. No-one else is there. Now he� feeling guilty. He says, ��e left everybody behind.�/p>
I tell him, �ou�e a good soldier. You�e been there one year. You�e not an asset now because of your injury. You�e done a good job and you need to be out right now.�/p>
He� told me he needs counseling and that he�l seek it. I� so glad to hear that because he� right: he needs help to get over the events of this war and occupation and what he� seen. And he� determined to get out when this tour of duty is over.
This war has torn my family up. We went from a family of three children with people around to just my husband and myself and my daughter. She� seventeen and she� always been a good student. Now her grades are down. My brother, her uncle, asked her recently why this is so.
She said simply, �t� because of the war.�/p>
My husband copes in a different way than I do. While I�e been speaking out and getting support, he keeps his feelings inside and doesn� talk about his worries and fears; and he has nightmares. When I try to get him to open up, he starts crying.
But I feel stronger now than I ever have in my life. I�e always been a quiet sort of person but when my son was endangered I found a huge reservoir of strength inside. I started talking and I got him out of there.
I� very proud of myself. I feel very empowered. And I want to empower other women. I� going to start working with the Red Cross and give support to other mothers.