COUNTERING MILITARY RECRUITMENT
Articles: Military Service: General
Voices From The Front: U.S. Soldiers Build Schools, Help Orphans
Tampa Tribune
February 12, 2006
Jerry
E. Trotter was in his new apartment in Tampa last year, just starting
his junior year at the University of South Florida, when the telephone
rang. It was the Marines. The young corporal in the reserves learned he
was going back on active duty, this time headed for the northeastern
coast of Africa.
Trotter recently talked with Tribune editorial writer Jim Beamguard by
telephone about his job helping guard a U.S. base in Djibouti.
On his assignment: I've been here six months. My company mainly does
the security on the base. We're here to win the hearts and minds of the
people. We're waging peace and fighting terrorists in this area.
The base itself is in charge of seven different countries in the Horn
of Africa. Prior to the Iraq and Afghanistan confrontation, there used
to be a lot of terrorists in this area. We have pretty much gotten that
under control. We haven't been attacked, but the intelligence we've
heard is that they're still out there.
We're here to support the people and their fight with terrorism. We're
helping the countries [in the region] build schools, roads, giving aid,
feeding them, giving them water. The people are very poor, but also
very happy we're here.
On helping orphans: We go off base, which is kind of weird in a combat zone. We go to help out the children in the orphanages.
There's a boys' orphanage, a girls' orphanage, and a little babies'
orphanage. Twice a day you can go help feed the babies and play with
them and help relieve the nuns. Or you can go to the boys' orphanage
three times a week.
We play basketball with the boys or help teach them. I haven't been to the girls' orphanage; it's strictly a girls thing.
The boys had a horrible basketball court, barely any backboards. Rims
without any nets on them and a really old ball without any grip.
They play in bare feet. Their soccer field is pure sand. And there's
trash and broken glass on it. Every Monday a group goes down and tries
to clean up the area so they don't get cut.
The boys range in age from 8 to early 20s. Some of them know English.
They're quite intelligent people. They're ambitious. They're just
overall good people. It's sad how they're living. We're doing
everything we can to help them out.
My company did a fundraiser. We raised something over $500. We got them soccer goals, basketball nets and new backboards.
We're trying to get concrete out to repave their basketball court so they won't have to worry about tripping in a hole.
My family just donated four boxes to the orphanages - candy, toys, food, clothes, shoes.
They need any kind of shoes. Flip-flops would be much better than running around in your bare feet.
On his march to Baghdad: I had just got to school when I got called to
go to Iraq, the initial push. I was there from January 2003 until July
2003, in the first group. We traveled all the way from Kuwait to
Baghdad City.
I saw a lot of action. One thing I'll never forget is the people's
faces. Everybody was always happy and waving and cheering us on as we
pushed up the front. They always asked us for water and food, just like
the people here. The majority was getting starved to death. I didn't
see frowning faces until I got to Baghdad.
On explaining the war: When I got back from Iraq, people were talking
about how we shouldn't be there. I would show them the pictures of the
smiling families and kids, all very happy we were there. I would tell
them the story from a Marine's perspective, and they, you know, would
lighten up and give you a smile and they're like, "You're right."
Here, there hasn't been a single shot fired. This is a very successful
part of the war against terrorism. That often isn't shown in the news.
On his family: I lived most of my life in Palm Bay, Fla. Both of my
parents are Marines. They both got medically separated from Marine
Corps during the early 1980s.
I joined Sept. 12, 2001, a mere coincidence [that it was the day after 9/11], right after high school.
I was 18 when I went to boot camp, then radio operator school. I turned
19 in Iraq. I didn't even remember it until two days later.
I'm 21, turning 22 this March. This time I'll actually remember it.
My sister is chronically ill with lupus [and other ailments]. Both of
my parents have been 100 percent disabled since I was a little kid. My
parents had surgeries that went bad. I want to become an orthopedic
surgeon - maybe make some better techniques that prevent stuff like
that from happening.
In Tampa, I'm part of the Big Brothers, Big Sisters. I had a little
brother named Chad. Because I got deployed over here, the program found
a new "big" for him.
I'll probably get back in late March. I'll be on active duty until
June. Then I'll go back to school. I would like to volunteer at the
children's hospital or Shriners hospital, so I could continue to make a
contribution.
I have a girlfriend who graduated high school the same year I did.
She's graduating [college] this year. I'm left in the dust with two
years still to go.
On his typical day: I pretty much go to the gym, study, go to the
orphanage, go to work and repeat the process. I've learned scuba
diving, karate and jujitsu.
The food is actually quite good. We have lobster once a week. It's a
lot better than in Iraq. This deployment is going quite well, so I have
no complaints.
My last deployment, we were on the move. Packages with toilet paper and
a bar of soap were very nice. Here, military personnel don't need
anything. The people in town, they need things.
On the future: It's kind of tough when you're trying to battle an
ideology rather than individuals. In my opinion, it's going well. It's
a winning battle, but it's going to be a long one, like the president
says.
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