By Jennifer La Lima
Synowiec is a lance corporal with the 1st Marine Division. His brother, Paul, 21, recently returned after two deployments in Iraq. The brothers, of Oceanside, both belong to North Bellmore American Legion Post 1749, where their uncle, Frank Colon, is commander.
John Synowiec doesn't watch the news, or any TV show about U.S. involvement overseas. He is patriotic, and believes in what he is about to do. He says his intense military training and the knowledge gained from his brother and friends have prepared him well for his seven-month deployment.
"It's a war, but it's a very different war than it used to be," Synowiec says. "There is a lot that people don't get to see or understand. Many of the Iraqi civilians love Americans. We're 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 we're appreciated for what we're doing, regardless of whether or not they agree, the better we can feel about the work we're doing."
Synowiec joined the Marines in March 2003, partly because of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. "Had it not been for Sept. 11," he says, "I'm not sure I would have felt so strongly about joining the Marines. We've 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. We've had intense assimilation training. Iraqi people help us act out the different emotions and reactions that people will experience when we're there."
U.S. soldiers deployed to Iraq are trained in the Iraqi people's diverse belief systems. Synowiec says understanding cultural differences has been an integral part of his training.
For the Synowiec brothers' mother, Jane DeVito, these years have been a time of growth and of fear. "Sometimes all I do is cry," DeVito says. "I don't know how to describe my feelings about it, because at the same time, I'm 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 don't see everything that is going on by watching the news."
DeVito says that her son Paul had long wanted to be a Marine. John also contemplated the possibility. She remembers watching the news on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, and the fear that she felt for her sons. She knew that the events would only encourage their desire to join the Marines. Sure enough, both of her sons signed up shortly afterward. "They were both so sure of what they wanted to do, I became very supportive," DeVito says.
Paul, who is now stationed in California, is proud of his brother. "It is a once-in-a-lifetime experience," he says, "and I know John wanted to be a part of it. I honestly loved being there. They don't show on TV how grateful the Iraqi people are when we're helping them. I've learned that when full-grown men are smiling and crying to you, you can know that you've done something good."
Paul's 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 living normal lives in the states. "I remember seeing someone just singing in their car as they were driving," Paul recalled. "At first I thought to myself, My God, they have no idea what is going on over there. But then I realized that this freedom and our way of life is exactly what we are protecting."
In the days leading up to his deployment, John Synowiec's family will join him at Camp Pendleton to wish him all the best in the coming months.
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