By Jennifer La Lima
Synowiec, 22, is a lance corporal with the 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division. He is not the first in his family to join the U.S. military in Iraq. His brother, Paul, 21, is now back in the States after two deployments. Synowiec does not watch the news, or any television show depicting U.S. involvement overseas. But he shares his brother¹s patriotism, and has faith in the cause. He believes his intensive training and the knowledge he has gained from his brother and friends have left him well-prepared to begin his seven-month tour. The brothers are close, but have not discussed Paul¹s experiences in great detail. Nevertheless, Synowiec has been prepared by his brother for the welcoming attitudes of the Iraqi people.
³It¹s a war, but it¹s a very different war than it used to be,² Synowiec said. ³There is a lot that people [in America] don¹t get to see or understand. Many of the Iraqi civilians love Americans. We¹re trying to help rebuild the infrastructure. The troops just need the support of people at home. It is so important. Not everyone agrees with us being over there. But the more that people let us know that we¹re appreciated for what we¹re doing, regardless of whether or not they agree, the better we can feel about the work we¹re doing.²
Synowiec joined the Marines in March 2003. Motivated by the events of Sept. 11, 2001, and a drive to support his country, he decided to dedicate his ambition to better serve America.
³Had it not been for Sept. 11,² says Synowiec, ³I¹m not sure I would have felt so strongly about joining the Marines. We¹ve been trained very well, so I feel prepared to go. They teach us how to be alert, how to be aware and what to look out for. We do all sorts of reaction drills. We¹ve had intense assimilation training. Iraqi people [at a base in California] help us act out the different emotions and reactions that people will experience when we¹re there.²
The men and women have also been educated in the belief systems of the Iraqi people. According to Synowiec, learning to understand the cultural differences has been an integral part of his training.
For their mother, Jane DeVito, these years have been a time of both growth and of fear. ³Sometimes all I do is cry,² DeVito said. ³I don¹t know how to describe my feelings about it, because at the same time I¹m very proud of my sons. Life is good here. We have freedoms here that were won through war. The men and women who have died for our country, over hundreds of years, are the reason we have much of what we have today. Paul has told me about all the good that is going on over there. We don¹t see everything that is going on by watching the news.²
DeVito says that Paul always wanted to be a Marine, and that John also contemplated it. She remembers watching the news on the morning of Sept. 11 and the fear she felt for her sons. She knew that the events would only encourage them to join the Marines. Sure enough, both of her sons signed up shortly afterward. ³They were both so sure of what they wanted to do, I became very supportive,² she said.
Paul, who is now stationed in California, is proud of his brother. ³It is a once-in-a-lifetime experience,² he said, ³and I know John wanted to be a part of it. I honestly loved being there. They don¹t show on TV how grateful the Iraqi people are when we¹re helping them. I¹ve learned that when full-grown men are smiling and crying to you, you can know that you¹ve done something good.²
Paul¹s unit aided the men and women who are rebuilding schools and other institutions. When he first arrived home after his second deployment, he found it strange to see people in the states simply going about their lives. ³I remember seeing someone just singing in their car as they were driving,² says Paul. ³At first I thought to myself, my God, they have no idea what is going on over [in Iraq]. But then I realized that this freedom and our way of life is exactly what we are protecting.²
In the days leading up to his deployment, John Synowiec¹s family will join him at Camp Pendleton to wish him all the best in the coming months.
