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Posted on Mon, May. 30, 2005

By Nick Oza and Mark Washburn

Washington Bureau

CAMP ANACONDA, Iraq | Ask troops about military hardship, and they'll let you have it. Separation from families. Hard work. Dopey regulations. Deadly danger. The heat. The cold. The unknown.

But ask them how they feel, personally, to be American troops abroad today, and you hear about pride in their mission, confidence in their colleagues and devotion to duty in perilous work.

Those were the overwhelming responses of dozens of service members interviewed during a 10-day tour of U.S. military posts abroad - from tidy, green American bases in Germany to dusty, broiling outposts across Iraq.

Including privates fresh out of boot camp and West Point- educated officers nearing retirement, the gripes came in all stripes. But reflecting on the coming Memorial Day holiday and their view of what they do, so did the pride.

Here are the words of some of them:

Carlene Bloss, 40, of Jacksonville, N.C., was a Marine for six years and is now a staff sergeant in the N.C. Army National Guard, based at Camp Anaconda, a sprawling U.S. base in central Iraq. Her son, Anthony, was 13 when she learned she was up for deployment to Iraq.

"The Marine in me always wants to come over here. But I have a son, so I never volunteered. When I told him there's a 90 percent chance I was going to Iraq for a year, and this could change his life, I said, 'I didn't want to hurt you.'

"He said, 'Mama, I'll be the same kid a year from now that I am today. Go serve your country.'

"I cried and cried."

Maj. Eddie Blackburn of Elkin, N.C., is a probation officer in civilian life. He's spent 28 years in the military, currently with the 30th Engineering Brigade of the N.C. Army National Guard. Now based at Camp Victory, he has a son who is a junior at West Point.

"The more you deal with the civilians over here, the more you can tell they want change. They want to control their own destinies and not have it controlled for them. Of all the things I have done in my life, being a soldier is the greatest accomplishment."

Maj. Marybel Johnson, of Cary, N.C., a West Point graduate and a former helicopter pilot, supervises an Army operation at Baghdad International Airport that gets mail to soldiers. When her 5-year-old daughter lost a tooth recently, Johnson's mother-in-law helped the girl write a note asking for an exemption from standard procedure: "Dear Tooth Fairy: Please don't take this tooth. I want to send it to my mom in Iraq." The note - and the tooth - arrived in Johnson's mail.

"I miss my kids tremendously. When I call them and they cry, I cry. ... My daughter says, 'You love the Army more than you love us.' How do you explain it to a 5-year-old? I can't explain it to an adult. It's just what you do."

Sgt. Alex Rabre, 31, of Fort Bragg, N.C., a native of Guatemala, became a U.S. citizen and serves in the 30th Engineering Brigade at Camp Victory.

"To me, it's an honor to be an American soldier. What the [United States] stands for is great for all people - that means freedom. I'm here today so my children and my children's children can have freedom."

Spc. Sydney Stuart, 19, of Charlotte, N.C., is a military police officer with the 105th MP Battalion and serves as a guard at Camp Bucca.

"Sometimes it is hard to see a big picture because I am such a small piece. But in years to come, I will look back and know in some way I did make a difference."

Spc. Stacy Strayhorn, 29, of Asheville, N.C., is an intelligence specialist at Camp Anaconda. "It's hard being over here on holidays. You're away from family and friends.

But it's an honorable time. We're serving our country on Memorial Day - and that's special because it's a holiday for soldiers."

Capt. Alex Mendaloff, 51, of Statesville, N.C., a lawyer in civilian life and a military lawyer in the N.C. Army National Guard at Camp Anaconda, sees his service as part of tradition.

"It's a big deal for me to be here because my dad is still alive; he was a Pearl Harbor survivor. We're in a small clan: father and son who served in a war zone. He's proud of me."

Air Force Sgt. Wes Smith, 36, of Dillon, is postmaster of the biggest Air Force post office in the world, at Ramstein, Germany. He's served four tours of duty in the Mideast, and he said U.S. military personnel were regarded well abroad.

"Our intentions are good, to help people. We always get treated with respect where we go."

Sgt. Floyd Swofford, 46, of Polkville, N.C., a long-haul trucker in civilian life, serves in the 30th Engineering Brigade of the N.C. Army National Guard at Camp Anaconda. He signed up because "I wanted to be like my dad."

"My dad served in the Korean War. I admired him for that." Of the military: "It's been a life-changing series of events for me. I want to thank him for that - [for] putting me on the right path."

Sgt. Fred Bishop, 35, of Pageland, stands guard in 12-hour shifts in 100-degree heat at Camp Bucca. He has no doubts about why he's there.

"After Sept. 11, I had a strong sense of duty. It means you're fulfilling your nation's call. It means we're providing a service to the Iraqi people for freedom we feel they deserve."