Three Veterans of America speak about Iraq experiences at Ripon College

By Patricia Wolff
The Northwestern, February 24, 2006

RIPON - One of the first questions Abbie Pickett, nursery school teacher turned soldier, had to answer when she got to Iraq was whether or not she could kill a child.

An unsettling thought, but one her comrades needed her to answer, she said.

If she had to, she could.

Pickett, a member of the Wisconsin National Guard, drove a 2,500-gallon diesel fuel truck in Iraq. She needed to be able to defend herself and her rig no matter the cost.

Pickett of Madison was among a group of three members of the veterans group Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America who spoke at Ripon College Thursday night.

The event was sponsored by Ripon College Republicans, Ripon College Demo¬crats, the Black Student union, the Student Media and Activities Committee, and the Ripon College Ethical Leadership Institute.

"We’re not a partisan politics school. This is a great way to confront im¬portant issues that don’t face us on a regular day-to-day basis," said Joe Fontaine of the Ripon College Democrats.

Bringing in the veterans to speak is the best way to learn about the war from people who have actually been there, Fontaine said.

Bowers, a civil affairs officer in the Marine Reserves, spent his time in Iraq working strictly with civilians providing humanitarian aid. He never knew from day to day what he’d be doing.

"We shoot from the hip. You name it, we fixed it," he said.

He found Thursday’s news of civil war in Iraq heart-wrenching and overwhelming.

"We knew it was going to happen. (But) I don’t have any idea what we’ll do about it," Bowers said.

Rieckhoff has a pretty good idea what the results will be, however.

"It will totally increase the volume of hatred that already exists," Rieckhoff said.

Rieckhoff is a member of the New York National Guard who spent nearly a year in Iraq. He started IAVA to educate people in the United States about Iraq, he said.

"It’s hard for the political wonks, the Bill O’Reillys, the Al Frankens and the four-star generals to connect with the people who have actually seen it," Rieckhoff said.

He considers it his duty to talk to people about his experiences because the media only captures the highlights, usually the negative ones, he said.

"If it bleeds, it reads," Rieckhoff said.

Less and less of the true story is conveyed, Rieckhoff said, because fewer reporters are covering the war. The American people are tired of hearing it and reporters are not safe in Iraq, he said.

Bowers hears the questions about pulling American troops out of Iraq, he said.

"Doing that would be magical but it’s not reality. We’re still in Germany. We’re still in Japan," Bowers said.

However, he can envision the United States sending smaller, more specialized forces, he said.

Pickett signed up for the military at age 17 because she felt it was her patriotic duty.

Her six years in the military have changed her completely. She spent a grueling 11 months in Iraq and before that, stated she was sexually assaulted by an officer while serving on a humanitarian tour in Nicaragua. She never reported it.

Some days she’d give anything to get her old life back, she said.

By speaking at colleges Pickett is able to make a connection with people of her age group.

"People are not talking about the real issues," Pickett said.