The Military View Column, By Heath resident Jerry Hogan, US Army Lt. Col (ret.)

Michael Shupak, formerly of Forney and now living in Rockwall, graduated from South Garland High School in 2000. In 2002 he went to work for the State of Texas and became a correctional officer in the Texas prison system. In 2004 he joined the USMC reserves.

According to him, “I wanted to immediately go on active duty, but the billet I was slated for was filled and I had to first go in the Reserves.” Since then he has managed to balance two different careers, one military and one civilian. He has been successful in both.

Michael first deployed to Iraq in 2006 where he was assigned with his unit to the bloody Al Anbar Province. Returning it was then back to his civilian job at the Coffield prison unit in Tennessee Colony, Texas.

Two short years there and then it was another deployment, this time to Afghanistan. He returned in August of this year and is still on active duty until January of next year when he will then return to his civilian job. And as he puts it, “I have the utmost respect for all the people serving right beside me in the armed forces. We all play a special part in the war on terrorism and there is not much difference between one in the reserves and one of active duty…we all are Marines, we all do the same job, we all were trained the same, and we all know our basic job of being a rifleman and fighting the enemy.”

He continued with, “After being on two deployments, I have seen some funny things and some things that still give me nightmares. I was driving a vehicle that was hit with an Improvised Explosive Device (IED). While none of us were hurt badly, just the experience of this happening continues to bother me. I have seen body bags containing dead Iraqis and vehicles of ours that were covered in blood from other Marines. All of this affects us but we are a close bunch and we treat each other like family. We play jokes on one another and laugh and cut up but we also know that we are likely to be wounded or killed at any time. That’s why we consider each other as brothers and sisters and why we would do anything for each other and back each other 100%.”

I asked Michael his future plans and he responded, “I have a little over two years left on my enlistment and I have not decided whether to stay in. The State of Texas has been great with supporting me while I was on active duty and I really love the Marine Corps life style. It is the best thing that has ever happened to me and I am just going to see where it all leads in two more years. I know that some people don’t support what we are doing, but it is what we were trained for and frankly, we are the best in the world. I will do it again with no questions asked just so my family and friends are safe and out of harm’s way.”

Here is another of our local heroes who is balancing both a civilian and a military career. Please tell him and his buddies thanks for what they do for us.

Jerry Hogan is a retired US Army Lieutenant Colonel who volunteers to write this article. He can be reached at jerryhogan@sbcglobal.net or 214-394-4033.

“The Military View” by columnist Jerry Hogan. Nathan Raulston, son of Kim and Terry Raulston of Rockwall, and husband of Jessica Mills Raulston of Mesquite, graduated from Rockwall High School in 2003 and today he is in Iraq helping defend our freedoms.

Nathan enlisted in the US Army in early 2007 and immediately started his training to become a Cavalry Scout. In the classical sense, the Army uses their Scout units to find the enemy and hold them in place until other units can engage them with heavier weapons. But in places like Iraq and Afghanistan, since these Scout units are highly mobile and can move quickly in an area, they are used extensively in patrolling both urban and open areas as well as actually engaging enemy forces they might find.

In the summer of 2007 Nathan deployed to Germany where his first unit was located in Schweinfurt and then relocated to Grafenwhoer, Germany, one of the major training area for US forces in Germany. His stay was short as the unit deployed to Iraq in the early winter of last year and now is located at one of the Forward Operating Bases (FOB) south of Baghdad. As he says, “the mission of my unit is to work hand in hand with Iraqi police, army, and security forces to help them sustain the war on terrorism. We train them by showing them the essentials of marksmanship, first aid, close quarters combat and how to fight and win on the battlefield.

I usually work from 10-14 hours each day. Some days are pretty routine while others get rather exciting. The other day, for example, we were on patrol and one of the vehicles was hit with an IED explosive device. While no one was badly hurt, the vehicle was totally destroyed. We traced back the command detonation cord for about 300 yards and found where the terrorist had actually “holed up” with blankets, cigarettes, and an extra battery for the trigger mechanism. He was just waiting for a good target to pass by so he could explode the device.

As far as living conditions, we are in shelters that are like connex containers. We have a bunk, wall locker, showers and a latrine (bathroom). We also have a mess hall (Army restaurant) and the food is good. We are going into the summer so it will be really hot and that takes a lot out of you, especially when we are on foot patrols.”

When I asked Nathan about the All Volunteer Army he said, “It separates the boys from the men. Weigh all of your options if you are thinking about enlisting and think about what you want in life…and then go for it. The Army has been great for me. It has taught me basic leadership skills to prepare me for my dream job of being Captain with the Rockwall Fire Department when I get out next year.”

Now here is a young man who knows where he wants to be in life and is vigorously working towards that goal. Tell him, and all his buddies, thanks and good luck when you get the chance.

Jerry Hogan can be reached at jerryhogan@sbcglobal.net or 214-394-4033. His web site is www.themilitaryview.com