Western Courier

Issue date: 3/26/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Adam Sacasa Adam Brown always knew he wanted to be part of the military and fight to defend the United States.

Media Credit: Courtesy Photo Adam Brown sits on a Hummer during his stint in Iraq.

Media Credit: Courtesy photo Brown's unit while in Iraq

Media Credit: Courtesy Photo Brown and his unit discovered caches of weapons, including rocket propelled grenades.

From Iraq to Macomb: A Marine's Story

Marine squad leader Adam Brown and his men had just come across an abandoned truck in a wide-open field of Iraq. As he instructed his men to inspect the vehicle, Brown suddenly noticed the ground exploding all around him.

"It's kind of surreal seeing all these explosions going off all around you. Suddenly you notice bullets flying by them kicking up the dirt and you have to take cover," Brown said.

Insurgents had drawn Brown and his men into an ambush, pinning them down by unloading an array of mortars, rockets and bullets.

"When you get ambushed, you're not even scared because with all that adrenaline going, you're just reacting. You can't even think, really," Brown said. "It was the highest stress I've ever been under; I was responsible for all those guys' lives."

His squad that day consisted of 12 fellow Marines.

"We had to start bounding back, shooting and throwing smoke grenades to mask our location; our other two squads took up positions on each side and we suppressed the enemy," he said.

Somehow, all the members of Brown's squad made it out alive.

In fact, Brown didn't lose one man during his entire time as a squad leader in Iraq. Unfortunately, nearly 4,000 American soldiers in Iraq have not been so lucky, something Brown said he believes people need to be more aware of.

"You hardly see anything about it on the news anymore; the war actually seems like old news," he said. "Very few people think this war affects them, but people don't understand the name (of a fallen soldier) on the news has a family, has a face and that a family is ruined when they lose that person."

Brown is a 23-year-old freshman journalism major at Western Illinois University. He grew up in Oakford, Ill., and attended PORTA High School. It was during his junior year, at age 16, when the Sept. 11 attacks occurred.

"I always kind of knew that I was destined for military life. I always wanted to be part of something greater and do something great for America," he said. "Even before 9/11 I knew I wanted to be in the military, and the attacks just brought it more into perspective." A few weeks after his high school graduation, Brown began his military career. After 13 weeks of Marine boot camp and two months of infantry training, he found out he would be sent to Iraq.

"I don't think you can ever be mentally prepared to go over there. Physically, we were all in good shape and knew what we were doing, but experience is the greatest teacher, and that's definitely what it took," Brown said. "I thought I was prepared, but I wasn't."

Brown's first taste of life in the Middle East came from Kuwait, where soldiers are initially deployed before entering Iraq. It was there he realized how far he was from home.

"It's hard to believe it's the same sun," Brown said. "You go to Kuwait first, wake up in the morning in your tent, and when you step outside you're surrounded by sand.

"The sun is so blinding you can't even see and have to cover your eyes. Temperatures in that region would routinely peak at around 110 degrees Fahrenheit. "(It's) not even that hot," Brown said. "One time it was up to 150 and we still had all of our Kevlar on."

Such tolerance is a testament to the strength provided by Marine Corps training. For Brown, serving in the Marines was the only option.

"I don't care if I would have been treated better in the other branches of the military. I wanted to be the best of the best," he said. "I would have rather slept in a ditch in the cold if it meant making more of a difference."

Consequently, the front lines were anything but a comfort zone.

"You're always a bit paranoid because you don't really know who the enemy is at first," Brown said.

"It's really hard to tell who the bad guys are because they wear civilian clothes and their weapons are usually hidden until they need them, so you really can't notice a guy walking down the street with an RPG."

In spite of the harsh conditions and terrifying encounters with the enemy in Iraq, Brown stands by his decision to join the Marines.

"If I had to go back in time, I would do the same thing all over again because I like making a difference in the world," he said. "That's one of the few times you can say you were a part of written history, when you're a piece of something that's greater than you."

Although he is proud of making a difference in the world, Brown has trouble supporting a war that hasn't really led anywhere since the downfall of Saddam Hussein.

"I supported the war at first, but obviously there weren't really any weapons of mass destruction," he said.

"Saddam was a bad guy obviously, but there is a lot of other really bad guys around the world and we're not doing anything about that," Brown added. "I really think we're kind of over there for the oil - that may sound selfish on my behalf - but I really found no other reason while I was over there."

To hear those words from a Marine may further many people's displeasure with the War in Iraq. However, Brown emphasized why that displeasure should never affect the American people's support of the military. The support he speaks of goes beyond the typical "Support Our Troops" bumper stickers and signs posted across the country.

"If people don't have someone close to them in the war, then it doesn't really affect them, but that's still the right thing to say," he said. "It's beyond saying something like that; I think there should be more of an effort for support by sending packages and letters, and by people speaking to their respective politicians about their displeasure with the war."

After his second tour in Iraq, Brown made the transition from a wartime soldier to an active wartime veteran. Adjusting from Iraq life to Macomb life was quite a drastic change.

"It's definitely a much slower tempo of life: in Iraq, you're busy for weeks at a time and hardly get any sleep, while everything here is much more laid back," he said. "It's nice, but I definitely miss getting that rush.

"Over there, you're somebody who makes a difference every day. Here, I'm just Adam Brown, nothing fancy."

Of course, that's only true if you consider an Iraq war veteran to be "nothing fancy."

Supporting his fellow veterans is a passionate issue for Brown as well.

"The government is taking a lot of steps toward furthering their support of veterans, but I definitely think the treatment could be better," he said.

The mistreatment of vets has had a personal effect on Brown. One of his friends went to the Department of Veteran Affairs office and confessed suicidal thoughts. According to Brown, the people at the VA told his friend to come back in three weeks.

"But two days later he had hung himself with an electrical cord in his garage; they just put him on a waiting list," Brown said.

Death, however, is something Brown has encountered on a personal level several times.

"I have a memorial of my best friend who got blown up tattooed on my arm, and several other acquaintances I made in the Marines died in Iraq as well," he said. "Being in the infantry unit, it sucks, but you almost have to expect that."

For a person who has gone through so much in 23 years of life, Brown somehow manages to maintain a positive outlook.

"I've definitely grown up a lot because of my experience (in Iraq) and I understand the bigger picture of life," he said. "We could all do so much more to make this world a better place. A lot of people are concerned with their own lives, but they have to understand that there is this great, big, beautiful world out there and that we're all part of it. It may sound childish, but I really think Americans could do a lot more to make the world a better place."

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