Having returned from his seven-month tour of duty in Iraq just over two years ago, this week Marine Jim Hovance, of South Bristol, reflected on his tour of duty, and the current issues surrounding that conflict.
Hovance knew he wanted to be a Marine since he was a little kid. He explained he was inspired by movies he watched as a child, especially John Wayne films.
He graduated from Lincoln Academy in June 2001, signed up for the Marines in Oct. 2001, and was in boot camp by March, 2002.
Hovance explained he joined the Marines as an Assaultman, an infantryman with a rocket launcher, who is also experienced with explosives. “It’s pretty easy as long as you know the capabilities of the weapons systems,” he said. “A rocket launcher shoots as much out the back as it does the front.”
In March of 2006, Hovance was deployed to Iraq. He spent seven months there, returning stateside in Oct. 2006.
He described the heat as miserable, and confirmed the tense war zone soldiers faced. Avoiding being shot or mortared, and making sure trash on the side of the road did not disguise bombs kept Hovance busy over there.
Hovance said he and his fellow marines faced a significant language barrier in Iraq. He explained they took classes that taught them greetings and important questions. Such as ‘wayne alibaba,’ or ‘where is the bad guy?’ Iraqis also assisted the U.S. soldiers by working as interpreters.
Part of being a soldier in a combat zone is facing return fire directed at you, according to Hovance. “What to do after that comes naturally,” he said. “You’re scared, but you don’t worry about it. You just go with it.”
Being deployed overseas together really brought his unit closer together, Hovance said. He explained they went from seeing each other just one weekend a month to everyday for almost a year. Everyone gets to know about each other’s lives and families, he said.
Everyone in his company was lucky. Some soldiers were sent back early after being wounded, but no one died. His battalion, however, lost 11 Marines.
Hovance kept in touch with his family via e-mail and occasional calls from a satellite phone. He said he even wrote a few letters. Being away from home was hard on him and his family.
Hovance’s daughter was born while he was in Iraq. She was two months old when he returned. He explained he and his fellow soldiers celebrated that joyful occasion with cigars and O’Doul’s non-alcoholic beer.
“I got to hear the actual message about my daughter being born as it came into the command center,” said Hovance. “That was probably my best moment in Iraq.”
Supplies for his unit were always available, even boots could be obtained quickly, according to Hovance. At first they only received one hot meal a day, because it had to be trucked in from a bigger base. By the time he left, they were serving two hot meals per day.
After returning to Maine in early Nov. 2006, Hovance said it felt very odd to be back at home. “You get so used to being over there,” he said. “You get in a mindset of kill or be killed.”
His unit first returned to Camp Pendleton in California where they received classes and counseling, as well as information about additional help from the Veterans’ Administration. He said his experience at Camp Pendleton really helped him, but that everyone is affected differently.
He explained the situation in Iraq is improving. Hovance pointed out that Fallujah has been almost entirely turned over to the Iraqi army now, but a year and a half ago when he was in Iraq they weren’t even close.
That is part of the reason he doesn’t support a timeline for returning the troops home. “We have to stay until the country is stable enough for us to pull out our troops, however long,” Hovance said. “People realize we are here to help them, and they are starting to help themselves.”
People’s reactions to his military service have been overwhelmingly positive, with a majority of people thanking him for his service. If he was asked to serve in Iraq again, Hovance explained, he would gladly go and share his experience with newer soldiers. He will share his experience with his children some day as well.
Hovance suggested people who want to help the soldiers overseas should send letters and packages, maybe as part of an ‘Adopt a Soldier’ program. He also said he enjoyed being met at the Bangor airport by a large group of strangers showing their support for his unit’s safe return.
“I don’t know if being a soldier has changed me,” he said. “I am more focused because I value my time more, and I am more grateful for what I have as an American citizen.”
