Stress While in the Sandbox While on a mission in the Agrandab District of southeast Afghanistan, Sargent Justin McEwen, a close friend Captain Mark Gardner, and two others were riding in an M-1151 Humvee on July 6, 2009. They were just one vehicle of a much larger convoy of US Navy Explosive Ordinance Disposal team members. All of a sudden, a loud explosion occurred and the Humvee was blown into pieces. Sargent Justin McEwen described the aftermath of the scene where the improvised explosive device was discharged. “I held Mark in my arms; I knew that he was hurt bad. I didn’t even know that I had been hurt.”
Sargent McEwen went on to talk about how he and Mark were stationed together in Hohenfels, Germany as members of the Company B, 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment. They had been called to do their duty; they went to Afghanistan to fight the War on Terrorism. Their mission was to patrol the area for enemy operations and report their findings back to the brass. Sgt. McEwen is a well-built specimen of the male sex, physically fit with striking blue-green eyes that look as if they could see right through to the heart of anyone. He wears the clean cut hairstyle of all military men, and his skin is bronzed by the many hours he has spent in the desert sun. There is a twinkle in his eye, a playfulness when you first walk up to him, but that cheerfulness leaves in an instant when he talks about what he has given up for the sake of freedom and the friends he has lost along the way. Justin, as he instructs me to call him, is a 24 year old guy, normal in every way when you look at the surface. It is not until you dig deep under the outside facade that you see what this brave man is doing on a daily basis to protect his fellow countrymen. Justin signed up for the Army when he was only 17 years old. He remembers wanting to be a soldier since he was three. “I remember when Bird, (Justin’s nickname) was little, that’s all he talked about; being a soldier,” said Kim, she is Justin’s mother. “He lived, dreamed, and survived on camouflage for a long time.”
Kim says that she has always known that Justin would eventually go to war. She is extremely proud of her son, but worries while he is deployed into active zones. When Justin signed up for active duty in the Army he was unsure of what job that he wanted to do. A recruiter showed him a video of soldiers jumping out of dun-buggies and shooting big guns before asking him if he wanted to be a Calvary Scout. Justin thought the soldiers in the video looked “cool” and decided that he would train to be a Calvary Scout for the US Army. He went through the initial eight weeks of basic training then went through another sixteen weeks of more intense training where he learned the specific duties of his job. In short, a Calvary Scout is the eyes and ears of the commanders in the field (US Army). These are the people who watch the enemy, pick the best routes for convoys to take, and if needed exterminate the enemy.
Being in the Army is a great sacrifice, when asked if it was reward enough for missing his family he half way grinned.
“Sometimes yes, Sometimes no, but I feel that I have made a difference there.” He did not elaborate on that statement and I did not feel he needed to.
A risk every soldier takes is getting injured or killed. When Sgt. McEwen was injured he did not even realize, at the time, that he was hurt. However, he lost 80% of the hearing in his right ear, had a metal rod placed in his right femur, and he had a significant injury to his right shoulder. “I got up and walked around even though my thigh bone was severely broken. I guess it was the adrenalin rush, I don’t know.”
Justin gives a half grin before continuing the story. Getting to the hospital when you are in Afghanistan is not as easy as it is here in the States. He had to be flown to and from several locations before finally making it to the base hospital in Germany. As a reward for his heroism he was awarded the Purple Heart, but humbly refused because he felt as if there were others who deserved the award more than he did.
“I think things are better there now than they were when I spent my first tour there.”
Sargent McEwen has spent almost three years in Afghanistan completing three tours of duty. The Afghanistan of today is much improved when compared to three years ago. One of the biggest advancements was the fact that Sgt. McEwen and the members of his troop trained Afghani women to work in law enforcement just a few weeks ago. The women there are treated like a man’s property, yet a few women were able to break free from their marital prisons and were able to continue their education to learn how to uphold the new laws in Afghanistan.
“We have a job to do, and I plan to finish what I started.”
Justin did not think about leaving the Army after his injuries, instead he plans to see what he calls “his mission” completed.
The families of soldiers also make sacrifices when their loved ones go off to war. Justin’s daughter Grace is a happy, loving four-year old who is full of life and love for her daddy. Justin is very much the proud father although he misses his little girl when he is away.
“I missed her birth, and I have spent about six months with her out of the four years she has been on earth.”
He tries to talk to his family once every week while he is on active duty. Talking to family back home can be a luxury in some places, and all equipment must be working properly in order to call someone across the world.
“It’s not as good as being there, but it is better than nothing.”
Justin talks of the advantages of new technology especially of how Skype has changed how soldiers interact with their families from so far away. He was able to watch Grace open presents on Christmas morning for the first time ever last year on the computer.
As I wish Justin the best of luck and say good-bye I remember to thank him for the interview, but more importantly for his service to our country. He has given so much for each of us so that we can remain free. Justin has sacrificed time with his family, watched friends die on the battlefield, and been severely injured himself. But through all of this he is still able to find the good in humans, he is willing to give to others, and shows more concern for his fellow soldiers than he does for himself. He truly is a brave man, a brave soldier, and I feel as if my world has been enlightened just by talking with him. When I see the stories on the news about soldiers being injured on the battlefield I will say a prayer for Sargent McEwen and the others; I hope that you will do the same. Works Cited
McEwen, Sgt. Justin. Personal Interview. 22 June 2012.
Schimmeck, Kim. Personal Interview. 22 June 2012.
United States. Department of Defense. US Army. Careers and Jobs: Cavalry Scout (19D). Web. 25 June 2012. http://www.goarmy.com/careers-and-jobs/browse-career-and-job-categories/combat/cavalry-scout.html.