Back to Iraq was the words that I was to hear after just returning home from the first two months of duty. They had sent guys, me included back to Fort Riley, KS to ETS 90 days early. I was glad to get out of there considering the conditions that we were dealt.

I heard a lot of stuff on the news about how kids in High School and what not were getting all upset thinking that the draft is coming, but not when all they have to do is stop loss people left and right. Then I hear kids on MTV talking about how they are going to vote for Bush cause of the war, when they themselves have no clue whats going except that they think war is cool.

Anyway back to Iraq I go, although I couldn't complain cause my friends just spent Thanks Giving and Christmas there. However I still felt like man, the tour isn't going to be over for awhile. I had no idea what the next 9 months had in store for me.

Jan 05 2004, it was almost cold and did get cold. Kuwait was like a swamp of sticky mud, and I forgot to pack fresh smokes! I spent a few days trying to stay high and dry eating up pizza from the make shift Pizza Inn knowing what I had in store when I made it back to camp.

Jan 9, Back to camp, it was dark and lonley as we emptied our bags off the chinook and piled them on to the 5 ton. I thought to myslef how good christmas was and did I let everyone know that I loved them as I lugged my bags. Stepping up to the building everything looked just like I left it except I hadn't seen the inside of the building since they had been remodeled by the Iraqi contractors. It was warm and I put down my bags and woke up my squad leader to let him know I made it then hit the sack.

The next 9 months were spent going on numerous missions to different places some a month at a time some a week, some just a few days. Of course then there were the usual ones that I got to go on every now and then.

As time wore on it became the norm to know when not to be outside,as rockets and mortars rocked the camp more then once and awhile. My time was getting shorter, although there almost was never a time that I thought that I couldn't die even inside the camp. The running joke was, its safer outside the fence but of course we all knew that wasn't true.

I made the best of my time and got out of Iraq in one piece thanks to my friends that stood to my left and my right. I just wish that these kids really knew what we went through and how many of us had other plans but went right back when we had too.

As I look at the time spent, I am proud of what I did and what I went through. However, I am not proud of how the government went about it or how they are finding the numbers that they need when they can always just use the recruits to replace the vets. Does this mean that I would rather have a draft instead? No of course not, but I would rather see the guys that have done thier time get out on time. I just think that things need to get done right over there!

If you enjoyed reading Nick' s story and would like continue to read more of such stories, plese help us by contributing to Operation Truth. Click here to donate. To arrange an interview with Nick, contact press[at]iava.org.