Back to Iraq after holidays at home Back to Iraq after holidays at home (January 09, 2004)

by Jeb Bing

A rmy Sgt. Darren Graham said goodbye to his family and friends Tuesday as he headed back to Iraq after what he described as 16 wonderful days back home in Pleasanton with family and friends. By today, he is scheduled to be back on duty as a "raid leader" with his 4th Infantry Division unit in Al Taji, a city of 50,000 about 20 miles north of Baghdad. Graham said he sees progress being made every day in Al Taji where the people, like most of us, are focusing on a better year ahead for their country's economy, with their primary concerns being the well-being and education of their children. While it's still a dangerous place for Americans, Graham finds that Iraqis are enjoying for the first time in years the freedom to travel where and when they want to and to search for job opportunities as businesses rebuild and new ones start up.

Still, as his own Army job title shows, Graham and the five-man raiding team he commands are often in harm's way. Following tips and military intelligence, they raid homes in the city and countryside looking for weapons and anti-American terrorists. These raids range from door-bashing to friendlier door knocks to gain entry, although most Iraqis have become more cooperative as they consider their options, Graham said. Although Iraqis are allowed to keep one automatic rifle, he often finds in the targeted homes large stashes of weapons. In recent weeks before Graham left for his trip home, his crew seized surface to air missiles, anti-aircraft guns and sniper rifles with scopes, all loaded and ready to use. Some were found in the open, although most were hidden.

Graham grew up on Payne Road in the Val Vista neighborhood, where his mother and local Realtor Gabriela Koenen and her husband Ken, a Pleasanton lawyer, still live. He attended Donlon Elementary and Pleasanton Middle School, then graduated in 1996 from Foothill High. Also home for the holidays was Graham's brother Dustin, another Foothill grad, who is completing his doctorate at Brown University. Darren joined the Army three years ago and just re-enlisted in Iraq, making him eligible for college benefits when he returns Stateside later this year to Fort Hood, where he plans to enroll at the University of Texas. The Army will provide time off for Graham to attend classes and will also cover up to 95 percent of the costs.

As a sergeant, Graham earns about $2,800 a month, most of which he has been able to save while on duty in Iraq. Since enlisting, he has served on several different Army posts in the U.S. and South Korea, shipping out to Kuwait last March and then following the Marines into Iraq a month later. Living conditions for the military have improved steadily, Graham reports, with his camp in Al Taji now air conditioned, and equipped with hot showers, television, TV games, computers with full Internet and e-mailing access and a fully equipped PX. Even so, he and his team are on call 24 hours a day, so much of their off-duty time is used to keep their weapons clean and at the ready, with each soldier's 50 pounds of body armor, grenade launchers and other equipment close by for when their raiding party moves out and into harm's way.

For Graham, who has been away for more than two years, Pleasanton keeps getting bigger and busier. He was thankful that his favorite place - downtown - still looks and feels the same with one new addition since he left for the Army: a bright yellow ribbon bearing his name that hangs from the light pole near Pizza Hut on north Main Street. That brought tears to his eyes, but also made him even more resolved to head back to Iraq on a mission he believes is right for him and for the country he serves.

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