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Five years after US invasion, Miami students reflect on Operation Iraqi Freedom

Erin Bowen

Five years. One thousand eight hundred and twenty five days. Four thousand American soldiers lost. Hundreds of thousands of troops deployed. Approximately one million Iraqi lives affected. Five years.

Many watched with wide eyes as white explosions pierced the black and gray smudged sky the night of March 19, 2003. With mouths open and hands clenched, national television networks broadcast the "Decapitation Attack" as U.S. and coalition forces launched a missiles and bomb attack on Iraqi targets. It was a Wednesday night.

Like fireworks, the explosions crackled and fizzled at targets aimed at former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and his top officials.

With a shiver of excitement, fear, horror and confusion, the first war that many of this generation will remember began.

Katie Beth Tonnies, now a sophomore, was fourteen when the Iraq War began. Tonnies said that at the time, she was preoccupied with high school soccer, dancing with friends to Christina Aguilera music and catching episodes of "Lizzie Maguire." But when her parents tuned in to the March 19 telecast of the bombings, she paid attention.

At the time, Tonnies said the idea of war did not seem real.

"My idea of war was still limited to history books and movies," Tonnies said. "I imagined Ben Affleck in Pearl Harbor heroically going off to war. I don't think anyone thought the war would last this long."

Now Tonnies is nineteen, a psychology major, and preparing for her MCAT. Growing up with five years of U.S. involvement in Iraq has destroyed her jaded image of war.

Unlike Tonnies, Sarah Pace, interim president of the Blue Star Mothers of Oxford, knew what war could mean for her family. Blindsided by the news of the 2003 attacks, Pace said she was shocked as she watched a broadcast of the bombings.

"I think everyone saw it," Pace said. "You couldn't miss it. It was so hyped up. I watched in shock and awe. I don't even think a word can describe my emotions. I just thought, 'What happened here?'"

Pace is no ordinary American citizen. Her son Zack Pace, a Miami University graduate, is a member of the United States Infantry. Zack, now stationed in Afghanistan, was deployed to Iraq in 2005.

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Pace said her son experienced feelings of appreciation from the Iraqis during his 2005 deployment.

"I have no doubt the soldiers think they were appreciated in 2005," Pace said. "I'm not so sure how the soldiers in Iraq feel now. It's been so long."

As the mother of a solider, Pace brings a different perspective on the war. To Pace, letting a child go is difficult but not surprising.

"It's hard, but it's not like you didn't know this was coming," Pace said. "It's a mix of fear and so many emotions, but eventually it becomes a way of life. You become numb."

Pace said she cannot even contemplate negative thoughts about her son.

"When he left for Iraq of course I was afraid," Pace said. "He's always been a winner in sports and such. Bad things are not an option. You learn to put fear on the back burner. You know he can get hurt, but at the same time, it's not an option."

As part of the Blue Star Mothers, Pace and her colleagues act as a support group for military families.

Pace described the unique situation for those with family members in the military.

"You don't get a lot of support anywhere else," Pace said. "It's a 'mom' thing. Nobody else can understand."

In addition to acting as a shoulder for military families, the Blue Star Mothers collect and assemble care packages to send to the troops. Pace said the next packages to be sent will include Girl Scout cookies donated by a local troop and Starbucks coffee.

According to Pace, the five years of war have not only made families immune to the shock and fear of war, but also the public.

Pace said she feels the public is no longer surprised or significantly affected by reports of causalities or other losses.

"The public gets numb to it as well," Pace said. "They see a blurb on the news that someone is killed in action. Instead of horror, it's just, 'Damn.' When you hear about it now, you just wonder how many more there will be."

For Tonnies, learning of the increasing casualty numbers is distressing, but she tries to remain positive that progress is possible.

"When we lose soldiers, it is heartbreaking yet unfortunately not really a rare occurrence," Tonnies said. "I like to think that our soldiers are making a difference. Hopefully life for Iraqis is improving and our country's national security will be improved."

Pace said part of the reason for the public's numbness towards the war is the fact that it's easy to separate life in America from Iraq because of the physical distance and cultural differences.

"For the public, that's just somebody else's son," Pace said. "It's become a way of life."

The amount of casualties hit home for sophomore Nate Welch. Welch said a grade school friend was recently injured in Iraq while serving with the Marines. The 21-year-old was awarded the Purple Heart.

As a young male, Welch said he has considered what an honor it would be to defend his country.

"I think every guy has thought about fighting for his country," Welch said, "But it's not something everyone can fit in right now because of college."

Pace said her greatest fear is that no solution will be possible and the efforts of so many soldiers will be diminished.

"Our troops are still there," Pace said. "My son comes home in two weeks, but as far as our troops overseas, that only changes one small thing. Thousands of other people's children are still there."