Among Iraq war vets in New Jersey, pride and concern

For former Army Sgt. Carl Oliver, seeing images of the last American combat brigade leaving Iraq was bittersweet.

He's still recovering physically and emotionally from a 2004 insurgent attack in Baghdad that killed two close New Jersey comrades and seriously wounded him.

The sight of troops crossing into Kuwait "brought tears to my eyes," the Trenton man said. "I just wish it had been us coming home, that nobody had to die."

Oliver, 55, and other veterans said Thursday that they were proud of their part in the slow progress - over more than seven years - that led to this week's milestone in Iraq.

They also pondered the future of the troubled country, where more than 4,400 Americans have died. Will Iraq be able to stand on its own? And will the remaining 50,000 U.S. troops be secure?

"If I had to, I'd go back again," said Oliver, a former member of the 112th Field Artillery of the New Jersey National Guard. "I don't want them [insurgents] coming here."

"It's finally ending," said former Army First Lt. Vince Caliguire, whose 30-member Pennsylvania National Guard unit killed 90 insurgents during a vicious battle in Ramadi in 2006.

"I wonder how it's going to go there now and how my Iraqi friends are doing," said Caliguire, 37, who lives in Brigantine, Atlantic County. "I also wonder what kind of support our guys who are still there will have when trouble does happen."

He, too, called the withdrawal "bittersweet. I think of everyone who died there and hope it wasn't for nothing. I would like to see something come of this.

"We eliminated so much of the enemy. I hope young Iraqis will be able to enjoy freedom and live in peace."

The Fourth Stryker Brigade's departure from Iraq - ahead of President Obama's Aug. 31 deadline for ending U.S. combat operations - was always part of the plan, the veterans said. The only question was the timing.

Iraqis "have to take over sometime," said former First Sgt. Richard Hughes, 62, who served with Caliguire at Ramadi in 2006. "We were there to restore law and order and give the Iraqi police, military, and government the tools to govern themselves properly."

"Then we were going to leave," added Hughes, of Mullica Hill. "We did our job, and now they have a good start."

"It's a natural progression," he said. "You go in, and you come out."

The withdrawal of combat soldiers left many veterans with a sense of pride for the role they played.

"I believe this marks a legitimate point of success for us," said Army National Guard First Lt. D.W. Janszky, who transported detainees to prisons near Baghdad in 2008 and 2009, sometimes ducking bullets and mortar rounds along the way.

"We've made lasting positive contributions to their government and society that will improve life there," added the Woodlynne man, 39, who owns the Haddonfield Floral Co.

"We should have put more pressure on Afghanistan, but deposing Saddam Hussein was positive," he said. "He was a genocidal maniac.

"Culturally and socially, it was horrendous under him. Now, hardworking people have legitimate opportunities. Before, that depended on your religious status."

Janszky said he had "reservations about the troops withdrawing."

"Will this lead to civil conflict?" he asked. "It is still a tribal culture. This remains to be seen."

The heavy combat may have officially ended, but the war continues for many veterans who have lived through it.

"I still have nightmares and dreams," Oliver said. "I have a back and head injury and go several times a week for physical therapy and counseling."

Oliver and two fellow soldiers - Spec. Christopher Duffy and Sgt. Frank Carvill - were trying to deliver ammunition to a police station in the Sadr City section of Baghdad when an explosion ripped through their humvee in June 2004.

As help came, a second explosion sprayed ball bearings and scrap metal through the air, wounding other soldiers. Oliver was hit in the left cheek, right hand, and left leg.

"I was in the wrong place at the wrong time," he said. "It was necessary for me to be in Iraq, and I did my duty. I'm just sorry not everybody came home. I'm glad it's over now and there's an end."

The war also replays in Caliguire's mind - especially one October morning in 2006 when he and his platoon fought a desperate battle against a much larger enemy force. Not one member of his unit was lost.

"I was lucky that day," he said. "The best thing I did was set up the defenses correctly."

Caliguire, who owns Pizza Inc. in Brigantine, has had flashbacks after his year of combat, which left him with a concussion and memory loss.

"A lot of my friends are in bad shape" from post-traumatic stress disorder, he said. "You think you're OK, then it comes back on you."

But this week, he felt buoyed by the sight of soldiers leaving Iraq. "I've seen this coming for a while," he said. "It's a process. I just pray for the guys left behind."

At least 25 members of the military from South Jersey have died in the Iraq war, and at least 41 from Southeastern Pennsylvania.

SOURCE: Associated Press