Marines 'still have a job to do' in Iraq
By Chelsea J. Carter
Associated Press
TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. — Marine Gunnery Sgt. Elia Fontecchio spent several days trying to figure out how to break the news to his wife that after returning from months of duty in Iraq he would be going back to the combat zone.
Associated Press
In the end, he told her in a private moment, simply and straightforward. At first, she was angry and disappointed. Now, she's just trying to make every minute count.
Gunnery Sgt. Elia Fontecchio, 29, entertains his son, Elia, 2, who was visiting him at his office in Twentynine Palms, Calif. Fontecchio returned from Iraq in September; he and his unit are headed back early next year.
"Every day is one day closer until he goes away," said Kinney Fontecchio.
Thousands of military members and their families have begun grappling with the news that those who have already completed one tour of duty in Iraq will be sent again in what the Pentagon calls the largest series of troop rotations since World War II.
The Pentagon has ordered 85,000 Army and Marine combat forces to Iraq to replace those ending one-year tours. Another 43,000 National Guard and Reserve support troops may also be deployed.
The first 20,000 Marines bound for Iraq will come from the 1st Marine Division at Camp Pendleton, Calif., and from nearby Twentynine Palms. At Camp Lejeune, N.C., nearly 1,000 members of the 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment were sent to Afghanistan last month after returning from Iraq earlier this year.
For some, it's a morale challenge as they face another long separation from family. For others, it's a second chance to take care of what they see as unfinished business.
"It's never happened to me before. We're all definitely surprised that we were going back so soon," said 1st Lt. Adrian Haskamp, executive officer of Company I, 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment at Twentynine Palms. The regiment returned from Iraq in September.
Haskamp, 27, said it would be hardest on the youngest of his 250 Marines, but that he believed their previous deployment would help them stay focused.
"I think a lot of the Marines have matured," he said.
Fontecchio said he also was working with Marines and their families struggling with the news.
"I'm being straight with them, and telling them the importance of their job. Marines will want to do the right thing," he said.
Fontecchio, 29, of Satellite Beach, Fla., said the Marines' experience in Iraq would benefit them.
"I'm very familiar with the territory and the culture now. We know some of the mistakes ... and we know how to handle them now," he said.
Lance Cpl. Michael Burrola, a 21-year-old serving with Company I, expects to be in Iraq as early as January for another six-month tour.
"When I first got back, I was like, 'I can't see myself ever going back,' " he said. "But it's my job, and we still have a job to do there."
Burrola, of Buena Park, Calif., said he leans on his fellow Marines for support.
"The Marines in my platoon, in my squad, get me through it," he said.
He said he and others avoid news reports about the death toll in Iraq. More than 440 U.S. service members have died since the beginning of military operations in Iraq, according to the Department of Defense. More than 300 of those deaths were the result of hostile action.
Burrola said he has put his focus into spending time with his wife, Crystal, 19.
"When he first told me, I was in denial. I was taken back. I said, 'No, you're not going.' It's kind of a helpless feeling," she said.
She has since resigned herself to the pending deployment.
"We did it once before and he came home. We'll do it again," she said. "We're very religious, and we'll use the strength of God in our household to get through it."
Haskamp said he has been treasuring small, daily moments with his wife, who's also a Marine.
"We're also not living every minute like it's his last. We're just appreciating every moment since he's been back," said Sgt. Jennie Haskamp.
Fontecchio's wife has made a routine of bringing their 2-year-old son to visit him at work every day.
"Almost every day, she brings me lunch. We also try to sneak another visit in during the day," he said.
Fontecchio said there was no way to explain to the son he is just getting to know why he has to leave again.
"You don't at that age. You just do what you can," he said. "Mommy bears the brunt of it."
