VOICES FROM THE FRONT

Letters From Home Ease Loneliness

Published: Sep 18, 2005

A member of the Texas National Guard, Spc. Maria Mengrone has been in Iraq as a unit administrator since February.

Mengrone, 28, processes Iraqi army recruits going through special forces training. She also reports events at Camp Liberty in Baghdad as a print journalist.

She has been in the military 10 years. When she returns home to San Antonio, she plans to complete her mathematics degree at the University of Texas in San Antonio and become a high school teacher of inner-city kids.

She looks forward to spending a lot of time with her husband, Michael, son Frankie, 8, daughter Yasmine, 5, and 1-year-old Christopher.

The interview was conducted by Joe Guidry, deputy editorial page editor of the Tribune. This is what Spc. Mengrone would like Americans to know about Iraq:

On her typical day:

``Wake up around 6 to be at work at 7:30. The minute you wake up, sand everywhere, sand in your shoes, sand in your bed. So you dust yourself off, you do your physical training in the morning ... and you come to work. ... I spend [most of the day] behind the desk at a computer either writing the story or doing administrative work. My day doesn't end till about 6 at night. It's a pretty busy day.

``Once we get home, you just unwind and do whatever you can to get your mind off what you were doing all day. Like read a book or watch movies and then probably to bed by 10. Then do it all over the next day.''

On interaction with Iraqis:

``When I first got here, I was sent out on a couple of missions. One was doing patrol with the 10th Mountain Division. It's weird because I had two totally opposite experiences.

``When I did the convoys and patrols, the people seemed apprehensive and not very friendly. Then later, when I was on a humanitarian mission to deliver lumber and building materials, the people were more receptive, smiling, giving us the thumbs up. I guess maybe it was the nature of our missions that the reception was different.

``Overall, I'd say that the people are happy we are here and helping them restore their country.

``I did get to work with [Iraqi] recruits who were trying out for the special forces ... and the motivation ... was overwhelming. ... It showed me that they are very determined to do whatever they can to do right by their country.''

On the insurgency:

``We do get mortared on this base quite often. We do hear the firefights that go on at night, and we also occasionally hear the suicide bombers because we're right next to the airport. In that sense, yes, I guess I have been exposed to it.

``It's not something that I can say I'm used to because every time it's a surprise and it's surreal, and I just can't believe this is my reality.''

On Iraq's security:

``I hear from the people that are coming in convoys and actually outside the wire more than I am, their sense of awareness is heightened, even more so now than it was previously. ... Our intent is that it is more secure, but at this point I couldn't say if it is or it isn't.''

On progress there:

``Despite the bad news, there is some good that is happening here. Working in public affairs, I get to experience that a lot. ... I know they went to an orphanage and donated a generator because they didn't have power but one hour a day.

``When I see the children's faces and they give us the thumbs up, I know that we're here for a reason, and that is to give them the liberties and the democracy that we have back in the United States.''

On her worst experience:

``I was sitting outside reading a book after work. It was around 6:30 p.m. and the sun was just going down. All of a sudden I hear this noise like nothing I've ever heard before. I stand up because it's getting louder and louder until I realize it's an incoming mortar attack. It hit our PX area, which is close to where we live.

``Immediately I knew there were going to be casualties because when it hit it was so loud, so thunderous, it shook the inside of your soul. Standing there knowing that I couldn't do anything ... it was so nightmarish.

On her biggest challenge:

``It's difficult to know you're so far away from everyone and everything ... just dealing with that loneliness and reaching out to other people because we're all going through the same thing.

``It's difficult to do that, for me anyway - to tell someone that I'm feeling lonely and I need a hug today. We're supposed to be these macho men and women, but I think deep down we're all feeling a bit lonely, and for me that would be the biggest challenge - conquering that and knowing that someday I'll be home to see my husband and my kids and be able to show them I've made a difference and I've helped to set a good example for them.''

On ``supporting the troops'':

``To me that means supporting the people who are out here doing the job. Not necessarily [that] you support the political view. We have our own political views, but you can't let that get in the way of our mission.

``When people support us, we appreciate it. They do that by sending us care packages, just sending us letters saying they're thinking of us. That, I think, is the support that we need, not necessarily the political battle that's going on right now.

``It's not for us, the soldiers, to decide. We're just here doing our job ... and we can't leave until the job is done.

``I'm glad for all the support I've received from all the people who have written, and I hope they continue to do so. It's important and it really does matter.''

Keyword: Commentary, to read other Voices From The Front stories and more on the media coverage of Iraq. The Tribune arranges these interviews with service members through U.S. Central Command.