Vet: Iraqis are ready to do the job
The American military's new mission in Iraq represents a positive milestone in that seven-year war, a National Guard veteran of two deployments to that nation said in an interview Tuesday.
Sgt. 1st Class Tavis Pike of Brainerd planned to be among the Americans who watched President Barack Obama address the nation on Iraq Tuesday night. The staff non-commissioned officer at the Brainerd National Guard Armory served two stints in Iraq. From 2005 to 2007, Pike spent 23 months in the 1st Brigade Combat Team in Iraq. He served in an air MEDEVAC unit in Charlie Co. 2/211 in Iraq.
Sgt. 1st Class Tavis Pike of the 1/194th CAB or Combined Arms Battalion in Brainerd talked about his deployments in Iraq as the U.S. military was preparing to cease combat operations and begin a new mission assisting the Iraqi military. Brainerd Dispatch/Kelly Humphrey
"I think it's a good thing ... drawing down the troops," he said.
Pike, 30, noticed considerable progress in Iraq security had been made in between his two deployments.
"The country seemed much more secure," he said.
One positive sign was that many of the tasks of the MEDEVAC unit he was assigned to in his second tour of duty involved non-combat injuries, he said. He said he thought the Iraqis were ready to assume greater responsibility for their security.
"Absolutely," he said "I think it's another good step in the right direction."
He said he thought there was a good relationship between Iraqi civilians and the U.S. military while he was in Iraq. Children would often approach soldiers in hopes of receiving candy or pens. Pike was hopeful that the children who were growing up after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein would come to acquire a an appreciation for freedom.
Morale was pretty high during his two tours, Pike said, but there was a drop during his first tour when the soldiers' tour was extended. On the second tour if morale started to become stagnant an effort would be made to keep soldiers busy with exercise and competition at the Marine Corps base in Anbar Province.
After entering the National Guard in North Dakota at 19, his professional life as a full-time soldier took a significant turn after 9/11. Despite the two wartime deployments that separated him from his parents and friends, Pike had no regrets about his choice of a career.
"I love the Army," he said. "I signed on the line to protect my country and that's what I was willing to do."
While in the National Guard he earned an associate of arts degree from Brown College and a bachelor's degree from Concordia University in St. Paul.
Pike said he relied on his training the first time his truck convoy was under hostile fire. He called the incident in and positioned his trucks to make a positive identification before firing.
"I was able to stay calm," he recalled.
Pike offered mixed reactions when asked to comment on the American public's tendency to focus on celebrity news rather than war news.
"It sucks to be forgotten," he said.
Still, he said as violence in Iraq has decreased and the attention of the public moved away from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, Pike had the perspective to see that as a positive sign.
"In reality it's a good thing," Pike said. "It's actually a true positive."
His two Iraq deployments instilled in him an appreciation of the everyday amenities which civilians often take for granted. Those include being able to drive wherever he wanted, sharing a beer with friends and cooking for himself.
For the past year Pike has worked with the 1/194th Armor CAB or Combined Arms Battalion in Brainerd, where he manages logistics for the battalion.
And Tuesday night he expected to have the luxury of being able to watch the president address the nation on television, marking a turning point in the war in Iraq.
"I think it's a good milestone," he said.