Soon, Mark found himself in Iraq, half a world away from friends and family, and trying to cope with the separation. "I wrote letters, occasionally could make phone calls, and sometimes was able to e-mail," he explains. " But, it seemed as though I had two families, one in the United States, and the one that came with me to Iraq. All of my fellow Marines were also without their families, so we were all experiencing the same separation, which made my separation easier to cope with."

Even in the 24-hour news cycle that we are in we still really only see half of what our military men and women are going through on a daily basis in Iraq. Besides the always long, hot and dusty days of Iraq, "no day was the same as any other. My unit was always moving and changing routine because of our capability as a long-range reconnaissance unit." Mark says that there are good aspects of the miltary and bad, the good being "the respect that the American people show me and all of the other armed service members." And, understandably, he says the worst part being, "losing close friends that I served with everyday in Iraq."

The military men and women have certainly been hit hard by the loss of their friends. More than 4,150 members of the military have been killed since the war began in March 2003. The war has become a key issue this election year between candidates, Barack Obama, who would like to end the war by 2011, and John McCain, who would like to continue the war for however long it takes until we can claim victory. Mark says, "I think that the Iraq war is still a work in progress. Time is a requirement for success. The situation is not one that you can completely understand without being totally submerged in it. At the moment, situations are improving, but without our ongoing presence, the country would be unstable. I think that it is going to take more time to strengthen the Iraqi nation into a country that can self-sustain." Mark goes on to say, "I don't think most Americans will ever understand what life is like as an Iraqi. Most can't understand how safe our country is compared to one that experiences terror day to day, like Iraq and its neighboring countries."

Another key issue this election year is gay rights and these rights are under attack in the military. In 1993 the military implemented a new policy called "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" in order to prohibit gay men and women from informing anyone else of their sexual preference. The military says that if the policy were not in place it "would create an unacceptable risk to the high standards of morale, good order and discipline, and unit cohesion that are the essence of military capability." This policy has been widely debated and is widely viewed as outright discrimination, however the military refuses to reconsider. Mark believes, "just like civilian work environments, sexual preference has nothing to do with getting the work done. The same goes for the military, sexual preferences should not be expressed; therefore it should not be an issue. Just like age, gender and race, sexual preference is irrelevant when it comes to one's ability to do his or her job." One could argue the problem with this is that straight men and women are able to openly discuss their significant others while bisexuals or homosexuals are not, at least not without being discharged. It is unlikely this policy will change anytime soon and will continue to be a major issue within the military.

Since Tetrick has left Iraq, he is now attending college at Purdue University majoring in Building Construction Management. He is scheduled to graduate May 2010; he is also a member of Purdue’s Delta Tau Delta Fraternity. Adjusting to the college life was not that difficult for him, he was able to make the transition from a Marine to a student through the skills that he learned in the Marines. “However I think that I view college and furthering my education differently than most of my peers," says Tetrick.

Write Comment

Please keep the topic of messages relevant to the subject of the article. Personal verbal attacks will be deleted. Please don't use comments to plug your web site. Such material will be removed. Just ensure to *Refresh* your browser for a new security code to be displayed prior to clicking on the 'Send' button. Keep in mind that the above process only applies if you simply entered the wrong security code.
Name:
E-mail
Homepage
Title:
BBCode:
Comment:
Code:*
	I wish to be contacted by email regarding additional comments