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Iraq War Vet Thankful for the Simple Things

Jun- 9-2007 » Filed Under: 1/25 SBCT

By Josh Premako, The Signal

Mark House is a lot more careful when he drives the streets of Santa Clarita, avoiding potholes and trash. In Iraq, those were likely hiding places for bombs.

He still instinctively looks for spots where a sniper might hide.

He still wakes up in the middle of the night from nightmares.

For the most part, the 36-year-old doesn't talk about a lot of what he went through, because a lot of people don't really understand.

"So far, I've just kind of been bearing it inside me," he said. "I do it the military way, which is just 'drive on.'"

But asked what makes it worth getting up each day, he answered simply: "Life."

After spending more than a year in war-torn Iraq, he's thankful for the simple things, including clean water and plumbing, and a good law enforcement system.

Last week, the longtime valley resident passed a milestone and graduated from College of the Canyons with an associate's degree in transfer studies, having first started taking classes in 1990.

"I took classes when life would allow me to," he said.

When he returned from Iraq in late 2005, House said he purposely took the next several months to decompress. The following summer he enrolled in a class at COC, followed by more classes in fall 2006.

Going back into the academic world was a bit overwhelming at first, he said.

"I wasn't ready to be around so many people," he said.

[...]


Comments For "Iraq War Vet Thankful for the Simple Things":

Thank you for your service to our country. I will pray that all your academic dreams come true. You are a hero.

Richard's Stryker Mom

Posted by: strykermom [TypeKey Profile Page] | June 12, 2007 4:19 PM

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