Morale Holds Up as the Iraq War Marches On

The seasons swing from cold and muddy to unbearably hot, there is no let up in deadly roadside bombings and the long separations from wives and newborns are more draining as third and fourth deployments loom. Reenlistments are down, and generals acknowledge that victory is uncertain.

But as the war’s third anniversary looms this weekend, morale among U.S. troops in Iraq remains relatively upbeat. There is nothing like the suicides, insubordination and fraggings -- attacks on superior officers -- that shook the draft-era Army in the last years of the Vietnam War.

Morale in today’s military might reflect an American society knit closer after the social upheaval of the Vietnam era -- or the fact that the Iraq war so far has taken a fraction of the lives lost in Southeast Asia. Many troops also see their efforts here as eroding global terrorist groups.

It also helps that the restructured military doesn’t rely on conscripts, but on a professional corps of volunteers. In fact some say conflict is exactly why they enlisted.

“Why else would anyone join the Marine Corps?” asked Sgt. Maj. Bryan Ward of the 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, a 29-year Marine veteran whose first tour was also in the Middle East during the Iran hostage crisis.

“My take is that they like to deploy -- but that they just don’t like to deploy so often,” the San Diego resident added, pointing to a widespread weariness over multiple tours in the war zone.

Sgt. Jon Beck of Rock Hill, S.C., also considers the combat an attraction.

“I was volunteering to come back. It’s our generation’s war. And it’s the place where the money is as an infantryman,” said Beck, who is assigned to the 6th Civil Affairs Group.

Unlike in Vietnam, most of the troops live on bases with easy links to home, via telephone and Internet, and there are bonus comforts like video-conferencing on Valentine’s Day and dining halls.

Many of the troops say, however, that more important are the personalities of those in their platoons and the leadership style of commanding officers.

“Having a good platoon is key -- just having your friends around,” said Lance Cpl. Michael Surber, a native of Kenosha, Wis., who also is in the 1st Light Armored.

“The biggest thing is the guys you’re with, and not having to see your buddies get hurt,” Surber added as his squad trudged through a field in Rumana, one of a string of cities along the Euphrates River where hundreds of Marines are based near the volatile Syrian border.

Surber’s squad lived this winter in a cluttered room with dirt barriers for walls and a wooden roof topped with sandbags. Hot showers were available only every one or two weeks and heat came from a black diesel stove that gurgled through the night.

“You’re going to go through the same hardships. If it rains, you and your buddy are both going to get wet,” said Ward, who quietly sipped coffee at his base chow hall to observe his Marines and gauge their morale. “These guys are fighting and jumping on hand grenades for their buddies.”

Despite the better morale, psychological stress on troops is evident even after tours end.

A Pentagon report released last month said 12% of the more than 222,000 returning soldiers and Marines in the study were diagnosed with a mental problem. In all, 35% reportedly received psychological counseling soon after returning from Iraq.

Harsh conditions and lingering effects aside, many U.S. troops point to last year’s Iraqi elections and the growing ranks of the Iraqi army as validation of their mission. Many Marines see progress in the fact that fewer battles are being fought with insurgents in western Iraq compared to previous tours.

“I’ve been here four times and I think we need to stay out here,” said Capt. Russell Becker of Houston, a communications officer based near Rutbah. “Change is coming about, but I don’t know how many more years it’s going to take.”

Others say they can speak only about their assigned areas and know little about the insurgency in the rest of Iraq.

Even for those whose confidence in the war remains, however, consecutive deployments have taken a personal toll. One Marine inside a wooden shack that serves as his home quietly showed a sheet of paper with pink footprints of an infant daughter he has never seen.

Others say they try to make the days go by faster.

“I’m just doing my time. You know, they say you don’t have to be in prison to do time,” Lance Cpl. Kevin Bourbon of Redondo Beach said as he watched Iraqi police recruits do sit-ups and run sprints during physical fitness tests in Romanna.

Some find relief in efforts to rebuild a corrupt Iraqi police force that collapsed last year.

“Now that brought my morale up, that they’re trying to help themselves without us,” said Surber, surprised to see a turnout of 300 police recruits, whom commanders hope can eventually assume responsibility for security in Rumana.

Faith also helps many.

At a base in Qaim near the Iraqi border with Syrian, Marines file into a makeshift chapel, complete with a chaplain, set up inside an abandoned railway passenger car on rusty tracks. They call it the “Soul Train.”

Inside dining halls across Iraq, it is common to see soldiers and Marines bow their heads and pray before they eat.