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'I never thought we'd be going to war until it actually happened'

Mar-19-2005 » Filed Under: General Military

The Olympian has a section devoted to the 2nd anniversary of the start of the Iraq war. Included is the following story about the nephew of a frequent contributor to this site.

Link to Full Article
CHRISTIAN HILL, THE OLYMPIAN

Two years ago, Rob Varpness was shooting pool at a Fort Carson tavern as he watched the bombs fall on Baghdad. Within weeks, he was marching toward the desert city as a scout for the 4th Infantry Division.

In those 24 months, Varpness said, he has experienced the highest of emotional highs and the lowest of lows, including suffering a combat injury that forced his retirement from the military. His war experience has hardened him into a stronger, more disciplined man, but he says it also has taken a part of his body and soul.

As the nation commemorates the second anniversary of the start of the U.S.-led invasion, his story is unique but shares a common thread with the hundreds of thousands who've served there: No one comes back from war unchanged.

"I look at it all as a blessing," he said during an interview in the Olympia apartment he shares with his 20-year-old fiancee. "It all turned out for the better, in my case. It doesn't always turn out like that for the rest of the guys."

Be sure to read the rest.


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