When Sgt. David M. Stidham, 26, received word that his unit, the Army National Guard 2220th Transportation Co. based in Flagstaff, was going to be deployed to Iraq, David was prepared to do his part.
In February 2003, Stidham, an ASU political science junior, dropped out of his classes and the Reserved Officers' Training Corps at ASU to go to Iraq.
"I believed in what we were doing," said David. "For me, it really didn't have much to do with the politics. It was my unit going, and they are my family."
A native of Arizona, David spent about a year in Iraq, supporting the 5th Special Forces Group, the 101st Airborne Division and the Polish-led Multi National Division.
Born in Payson, David began his career with the Army National Guard when he was 17, three years after moving from his home in Arizona to Laughlin, Nev.
"I knew what I was getting into (joining the military)," David said. "I was willing to do it, and I also wanted to join early because I wanted to go to college."
David joined the Army National Guard 1864th Transportation Co. in Las Vegas, Nev. At the same time, David attended the University of Nevada in Reno, majoring in secondary education. In 2002, David moved back to Arizona after his father, Fred, a former middle and high school teacher, got into a motorcycle accident.
Family support
David's dad was supportive of his son joining the military. "I always knew his personality would find the military satisfying," said Fred, noting David's athletic leadership as captain of the football, baseball and basketball varsity teams at Laughlin High School.
However, David's mother, Debbie, never liked the idea.
"She begged me not to join, but I told her that I was going to go no matter what," David said. "She worries a lot, and I try to make her feel comfortable about it as much as possible."
Later, when David told his mother that he volunteered for an assignment in Egypt after Sept. 11, 2001, she tried convincing him to stay. "She kept saying, 'Don't go, don't go,'" David said. "She was very upset and took it really hard."
David said he got the same reaction from his mother when he told her that he was heading to Iraq.
Fred said his son leaving for the war was a difficult concept to accept. "If they would allow me to accompany my son, I would have gone and watched his back," Fred said. "I would have gone and protected him however way I could."
David's girlfriend, Louise Rene, who works in Phoenix, said she supported him leaving for Iraq because it was what he wanted to do.
"He knew what his responsibilities were and felt strongly about going to the war," Rene said. "It was hard for me, but I wanted him to know that I supported what he wanted to do."
After two weeks of training in Fort Bliss, Texas, David and his unit left for Kuwait on March 26, 2003, a few days after the United States declared war on Iraq.
Living war
David got his first experience of the war the next day when he arrived at Camp Arifjan in Kuwait, after only four hours of sleep the night before. A Chinese Silk Worm Missile, which is a low-flying surface-to-surface missile that was launched from a civilian tugboat, hit near their location, he said.
"Just the blast shook our stomachs," David said.
He went on to describe the feelings he felt the first time the soldiers received scud missile launch warnings.
"We would hear sirens go off and we were freaking out because we thought chemical weapons were coming out at us," he said. "We were putting on biological chemical gears, trusting the equipment to protect us. Later, when we heard more scud missile attacks, we don't worry about because it became routine."
At home, Fred and Debbie watched the TV news as much as they could. Like other families with loved ones serving in the war, Fred and Debbie wrote letters and sent boxes of food items to their son.
"I kept reminding him, 'Don't let your guard down,'" Fred said.
David said when his unit reached Iraq, it was different from when they were in Kuwait. In addition to the flat desert and dusty streets, there were numerous military helicopters flying over Iraq, David said. "As you cross in, you see mud homes and there are kids without shoes on the streets, waving at you and begging for food," David said. "The soldiers didn't care any more why they were there, and that reason became clearer as we spent more time there. We knew we had to help these people."
But there were also successful social programs in Iraq about education and health care that benefited a good number of Iraqis. He said he met a few 19-year-old Iraqis who were doctors and some with their educational degrees.
David said one of the tragedies he witnessed was the barbaric tactics used by the enemy, which included the use of civilian structures such as hospitals and schools that often times were occupied by children.
At home, David's father said his biggest enemy was the telephone. "I hated the phone because every time it rang, I think it might be someone from the military telling me news about David," Fred said. "You think of the worst thing that could happen and hearing it on the phone. My heart would race every time the phone rang."
After six months in Iraq, David and his unit were given a new assignment, which started with the reconstruction phase of the war.
In one of the postcards sent to his father, David wrote, "We are under the impression that we might be coming home soon. I can't wait for the day. Missions here seem to be more and more difficult. I hope everything is going good with you."
Rene said she felt happy and secure every time she received an e-mail from David, which came once a day and sometimes every other day.
"Trying to get on the phone for him was hard because there was always a line and it was expensive," she said.
In early March, rumors were spreading around camp that they might be coming home, David said. When he and his unit went through numerous briefings and surveys to prepare for their return home, David said he was still skeptical.
"We still didn't have a fly-out date," said David. "It wasn't until two days before we left Iraq that we knew we were leaving for Kuwait and heading home."
A new perspective
David and his unit returned to Phoenix in April. He said his company traveled hundreds of miles and accomplished several missions without anyone getting serious injuries.
David, who is now taking a break from ASU for a semester, said his experience in Iraq has made him support President George Bush more than before. He said the war on terrorism is one of the top issues in the upcoming elections for him because if our homeland is not safe and secure, all other issues like the economy would be greatly affected in a negative way.
"I agree with President Bush when he said that 'you can't trust our security in the hands of a madman,'" David said. "After Sept. 11, we learned that we can't wait for an attack to happen and I support Bush because of his strong lead for our country to be safe and secure from terrorists."
David said with the presidential election drawing near, he would like to see more students get involved in discussions about the war in Iraq with classmates and friends who actually went there.
"They should find out what the soldiers saw and experienced while in Iraq," David said. "Everybody is going to have a different story, and it's not what the media is portraying. Hopefully, that'll provide them with an idea about the war which they can then compare with the candidates' policies and see where they stand on the issue."
Reach the reporter at laosamoa.poasa@asu.edu.
