University of Kansas - Jayhawker Yearbook (Lawrence, KS)

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Shoot to kill. William Stewart had seen the deadly force of that concept before. but this time was different. As his unitis medic. Stewart was obligated to provide aid for the man who now had no face, even though he knew the Iraqi civil- ian was beyond his help. The driver of the mans car hadn't understood the checkpoint. and an American soldier had opened Hre when the vehicle didn't stop. It wasn't the first time Stewart had been called on to help fatally-injured Iraqi civilians. but it was the first time he'd witnessed both the cause and effect of deadly force. 'fbefore then, everything I'd seen was justifiable, like tlievd deserved it, Stewart said. This was the first time I questioned another soldiers judgment. Watching the Iraqi civilian lose his life was the tip- ping point for Stewart, Lawrence senior, making him rethink his support for the war in Iraq. The fact that war- fare in an urban setting creates an unavoidable danger for civilians is one ofthe reasons some veterans like Stewart are rethinking the actions of the United States military in the Middle East. Stewart-Starks helps decorate a prostest banner dur- ing a March 14 event in downtown Kansas City spon- sored by Iraq Veterans Against the Wfar. WZILLIANI STEWART The difficulty in discerning friend from foe was one reason civilian casualties were high during the Iraq campaign. said Dan Parker, McPherson senior and former Marine. Any time that theres armed conflict, innocent people are going to die. Parker said. Civilians are going to die, es- pecially in urban warfare. and especially in modern timesf' N laster Sergeantjolin Peacock, senior Army ROTC instructor at the University, said although soldiers and Marines tried their best to limit collateral damage as much as possible, not having an easily-recognizable enemy made the task more difficult. Stewarts typical day began with the crackling of a O8 - O9 l JAYHAWKER WEIGH I NG TH E CCDLLATERAL DAMAGE radio. The medics listened over the military's frequency, catching the chatter and preparing the Hrst aid station for the injuries that day,s operations would bring. At the beginning of his 2004 deployment to Habbani- yah, Iraq, Stewart said he held the same view of war as many soldiers who hadnit been exposed to combat: They were liberators, flushing out the enemy so democracy could flourish. But the bloody realities of warfare hit him hard, he said. Stewart saw every kind of injury, from bullet wounds to lost limbs, but was never quite prepared for what would come next. One day, the back hatch ofthe medic vehicle dropped to show what Stewart described as a bloodbath, and two of his comrades were in the middle of it all, stumps Where their legs had once been. The unit had been on a foot patrol when an Improvised Explosive Device, or IED, had detonated, instantly killing the unit's Iraqi translator and seriously wounding those around him. The medic who was sent out, he just started stuffing body parts into his pockets so we could try to save the limbsf' Stewart recalled. As violence became more and more frequent in late 2004, Stewart said he and his men hardened, treating every civilian as a terrorist suspect and every movement as a possible explosion. NThat's a scary place to be, when you throw out your compassion, and then you start doing some really fucked up shit,,' he said, Hand that's the point that we were at.', Felix Zacharias, former Marine and Wichita junior, said it was difficult to forget the reality of death while in action. He said the urban warfare setting put extra stress on soldiers and Marines trying to combat an enemy who hid in plain sight. uThere,s no uniform - they're mixed in with the peoplef' Zacharias said. The day the Iraqi man lost his face at the checkpoint, Stewart said the soldier at the checkpoint's fear of a vehicle-borne IED overrode his fear of accidentally killing a civilian. Though Stewart later testiied on the soldier,s behalf at a military trial, he said it was after the entire ordeal that he thought the war had turned into an occupa- tion, and, initially, U.S. soldiers weren,t prepared to police the streets. HA lot had to do with the fact that the soldiers, jobs they were trained for were done,', Stewart said. As crazy as it sounds, a soldier isn,t trained to provide stability. 2 But many soldiers, such as Parker, think stability has become the military,s responsibility. We need to at least stay until we said we would, stay until we have a successful transitionf' Parker said. We can,t leave. Still, Stewart isnit alone in his point of view. He works as the president of the KU chapter of Iraq Veter- ans Against the War to increase awareness of American policies being put in place overseas. He kept his thoughts about his role in the war to himself until he heard mem- bers of IVAW speak out about their concerns. KI knew I had to do something, and it made perfect sensef Stewart said about joining the group. He said that he wanted potential enlistees to un- derstand what they were signing up for, and neither the national media nor the recruiters could tell them how their lives would change.

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LOSING SIGHT CDF BAGHDAD The Iraqi sniper had eluded American soldiers all morning. Army Captain Tim I-Iornik scanned the busy intersec- tion through binoculars, searching for the shooter who I had successfully wounded another soldier in the security team only 20 minutes before. It was early November 2004, and citizens of Baghdad had been on edge since U.S. Marines began their bloody assault on Fallujah, an insurgent stronghold 43 miles west of the capital. Hornik and his men had been assigned to provide security for the Iraqi Army as it quelled possible uprisings against the operations in Fallujah. It started out as a crappy day, I-Iornik, Chicago graduate student, said of the chilly afternoon. It was about to get worse. Although the sniperis bullet severed Hornik's left optic nerve and partially destroyed his right ocular orbit when it exited his skull, special surgical stitches secure a prosthetic lens and corneal transplant to I-Iornik,s right eye. With Hornik in his sights the sniper squeezed the trig- ger one more time. It was a clean, straight shot that pierced I-Iornikis left temple. The bullet traveled behind his left eye and exited millimeters away from his right one. I-Iornik collapsed from the turret of the Bradley vehicle heid been commanding and was caught by his comrades, who methodically applied primary Hrst aid as the tank-like vehicle roared through the pock-marked streets toward Baghdad I-Iospital. The immediate attention I-Iornik received from his squad saved his life, according to Hornik's wife Cate, an Army captain. The dependency troops have on one another is one reason I-Iornik would want to return to Baghdad and Hn- ish his deployment, despite injuries that would eventually cause him to lose his sight. The camaraderie formed be- tween soldiers is an unbreakable bond, I-Iornik said, and it isn't uncommon for troops to want to deploy to a war zone in order to stay with their units, no matter the cost. I have unfinished businessf, he said, L'Many ofus who had it short often want to go back. I only spent 49 days there. Lt. Col. john Basso, battalion commander and professor of military science, said the camaraderie was also necessary for safety reasons. Basso said soldiers and Marines worked in small groups where each person had a different, specific duty. Self anyone gets injured or fails in that mission, there's an increased chance another one might lose their life, Basso said, lf something happens to you and you canat be a part of that team, it's a real blow because you feel like you,ve let them downf, Cate said she understood the desire to stay together as a team and the disappointment that came with being left be- hind. Cate was about to embark on her Hrst deployment to Iraq when her husband was injured. She wouldnit be going. When a direct family member is injured in action other fam- ily members are no longer deployable to combat zones. 'iYou spend this time training with these people and you develop these unique friendships,'I Cate said. It makes you a lot closer to be with them 24-73 they're your family. 'I Part of the disappointment Cate said she felt in not being able to deploy was because ofthe desire to look after the men and women of her unit. It's sort of hard to watch your friends go down range because you're worried about them too and when you see what happened with your husband, you know that that could happen with them toof Cate said. Captain Gates Brown, Lansing graduate student, said he understood wishing to return to combat after being injured because ofthe loyalty to the other men and women in a unit. When Brown learned he wouldnat be returning to Iraq after being injured he said he felt guilt and frustration at having to leave his comrades. I realized, 'l'm leaving themf' Brown said, lt didn't matter the circumstances, I wasn't there, I wasn't going through the same things they were, l had abandoned theinf' I-lornik said he didnit feel any anger that his assailant would probably never be captured or punished. It was a time of war,H he said. c'It's the antics that, 'All's fair in love and war,, and well, he just happened to be a little better than we weref, Though he wasnit able to return to Baghdad and finish his deployment with the rest of his unit, I-Iornik is thinking positively. I-Ie said the ordeal had strengthened his marriage and given him a new lease on his passion: helping those who need it most. I-Ie currently works with the Douglas County Correctional Facilityls pilot re-entry program, designed to help inmates learn skills for the future. He has a new desire to work with the disabled and said his ordeal had given him the ability to identify with those who had experienced a physical loss. IRAQ WAR IPART nj l 84

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