FEELING AT HOME ABROAD
Alums who have seen service in the Middle East say they’ve sometimes encountered hostility from local people where they’re stationed, even as they struggle with their own homesickness.
Barrett F. Bradstreet ’01, a Marine officer who works closely with the local police, or Iraqi National Guard, says he met civilians who had “bad blood issues” with the American presence, though very few were vocally unfriendly.
“Some people were just protectively tight-lipped,” he says.
But for Bradstreet, the brighter side of the war lies in the community-based civilian projects and urban patrolling his division did in conjunction with the Iraqi Security Forces. Working on security and stability operations, Bradstreet and his fellow marines are attempting to better the circumstances in the local Iraqi community.
These efforts were generating very visible improvements, he says. The locals, with minimal exception, are amicable and approve of the help the officers are bringing.
In addition to trying to make himself and his fellow soldiers welcome, Bradstreet says he suffered from homesickness during his tour. He jokingly coerced his Harvard friends to send him care packages—so many that he often shared their contents with his fellow marines. He says he knows how much his family and friends miss him.
“They’re worried,” he says. “I’m sure my mother’s worried to death, but they’re really supportive.”
Harrington, whose ship remains stationed in the Middle East, says he is comforted by the thought of returning home, reminding himself that “minute-by-minute, the time separating us from our families and friend diminished.”
“Because of the isolated feeling of being at sea, one becomes more attached to those who are around,” Harrington adds. “It is wonderful to see people from all different backgrounds and from every state in the union, and a number of foreign countries as well, become inseparable friends because of the bonds formed on late night watches and during long training evolutions in the heat.”
He adds, “I will always remember the time I spent forward deployed in our nation’s service with gratitude.”