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Siskiyou soldier re-enlists

Sep- 2-2004 » Filed Under: 3/2 SBCT

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YREKA - Army Stryker Brigade Staff Sgt. Will Ottman, while stationed in Iraq, has signed re-enlistment papers recently to stay in the Army until full retirement.

Bill Ottman, his father, said "I worry about him and I'm proud of him. People just don't understand what it's like over there."

Will Ottman joined the National Guard just after high school. From there he enlisted in the Army and "he never looked back," his father said.

During the past 12 years, Ottman has been stationed in Bosnia, Serbia, Germany, the Russian Front, the Aleutians and Iraq.

Currently, Ottman is serving in the Army Stryker Brigade running patrols on a 12-ton tank-like vehicle called a Buffalo. The Buffalo is a Mine Protected Clearance Vehicle, which is used to patrol areas in search of IED's (Intentional Explosive Devises), mines that have been planted by Iraqi insurgents along the roadways to kill Americans.

When found the mine is exploded by the use of a cell phone triggering device.

"The insurgents plant these bombs but they don't care who gets hurt, even Iraqi children walking down the roads," Bill Ottman said.


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