(Fort Dix, New Jersey) -- The first wave of soldiers from the Pennsylvania National Guard's 56th Stryker Brigade has arrived back in the U.S. Approximately 300 soldiers touched down at Fort Dix, New Jersey, early this morning, ending a nine-month tour of duty in Taji, Iraq. Among them was Sergeant Jeremy Funk of Camp Hill, Cumberland County. He says he's just happy to be out of the scorching Iraq heat. "It feels so much better. It's a little more humid here, about fifteen degrees cooler. It's just wonderful. I don't have to step outside and sweat to death." The soldiers will spend the next week attending readjustment seminars at Fort Dix before they get to come home. That leaves some people anxious, including Funk's mother, Jill. "I wanted to run right down and get him. He said, no you can't do that," she says. Mrs. Funk says Jeremy called her around ten this morning to say he was home safe. The rest of the soldiers will be returning gradually, over the next few weeks. A Guard spokesman says everyone should be back by September 18.
(Camp Taji, Iraq) -- For the past six years, the world has watched Iraq's fledgling Democratic government struggle to take shape. Some soldiers in the Pennsylvania National Guard's 56th Stryker Brigade are getting a first-hand look at that process, as they work alongside Iraqi legislators. In the latest story in our "Impact of War" series, WITF's Scott Detrow rides along as two platoons provide security for a meeting of regional lawmakers.
(Baghdad, Iraq) -- WITF's Scott Detrow's assignment of covering the Pennsylvania National Guard's 56th Stryker Brigade's deployment to Iraq is winding down. He talks with Morning Edition host Tim Lambert about some of the things he's seen and heard during his trip.
(Camp Taji, Iraq) -- In Iraq, when members of the Pennsylvania National Guard's 56th Stryker Brigade pass through Camp Taji's gates, or "go outside the wire," as they call it, they have to sharpen their senses. Any person or any thing could be a threat, and soldiers' eyes are constantly darting, evaluating and re-evaluating their surroundings. Reporting from Iraq, WITF's Scott Detrow has the latest installment in our "Impact of War" series.
(Camp Taji, Iraq) -- Members of the Pennsylvania National Guard's 56th Stryker Brigade who are injured or sick make their way to a squat building at Camp Taji, Iraq. It's just down the road from the base's dining facility. It's the home of the unit's medical team, nicknamed "Charlie Med." As part of our ongoing "Impact of War" series, WITF's Scott Detrow paid a visit to the company on one of its slow nights.
(Fort Dix, New Jersey) -- The first wave of soldiers from the Pennsylvania National Guard's 56th Stryker Brigade has arrived back in the U.S. Approximately 300 soldiers touched down at Fort Dix, New Jersey, early this morning, ending a nine-month tour of duty in Taji, Iraq. Among them was Sergeant Jeremy Funk of Camp Hill, Cumberland County. He says he's just happy to be out of the scorching Iraq heat. "It feels so much better. It's a little more humid here, about fifteen degrees cooler. It's just wonderful. I don't have to step outside and sweat to death." The soldiers will spend the next week attending readjustment seminars at Fort Dix before they get to come home. That leaves some people anxious, including Funk's mother, Jill. "I wanted to run right down and get him. He said, no you can't do that," she says. Mrs. Funk says Jeremy called her around ten this morning to say he was home safe. The rest of the soldiers will be returning gradually, over the next few weeks. A Guard spokesman says everyone should be back by September 18.
(Camp Taji, Iraq) -- In Iraq, when members of the Pennsylvania National Guard's 56th Stryker Brigade pass through Camp Taji's gates, or "go outside the wire," as they call it, they have to sharpen their senses. Any person or any thing could be a threat, and soldiers' eyes are constantly darting, evaluating and re-evaluating their surroundings. Reporting from Iraq, WITF's Scott Detrow has the latest installment in our "Impact of War" series.
(Camp Taji, Iraq) -- Members of the Pennsylvania National Guard's 56th Stryker Brigade who are injured or sick make their way to a squat building at Camp Taji, Iraq. It's just down the road from the base's dining facility. It's the home of the unit's medical team, nicknamed "Charlie Med." As part of our ongoing "Impact of War" series, WITF's Scott Detrow paid a visit to the company on one of its slow nights.