As the U.S. war with Iran approaches its sixth week, Durango area veterans of past Middle East conflicts are reflecting on their experiences and applying them to the current conflict.
Pagosa Springs resident Trevor Peterson, an Iraq War veteran, said he fears toppling Iran’s regime will lead to a power vacuum and insurgencies similar to what followed after Saddam Hussein’s removal from power in Iraq 23 years ago.
He was part of the U.S. initial invasion of Iraq and deployed in the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) and the 2nd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment.
“They took Saddam out, and that’s the thing. Everyone celebrated for a little bit – and then they kept fighting each other,” he said.
With Hussein out of the picture, he said, a power struggle quickly unfolded between different factions, including Sunnis, Shiites and later the Islamic State (ISIS) group.
“Saddam kept those groups separated with fear and power,” he said. “He also kept that land in check. They (Iran and Iraq) fought a war in the ’80s, and without Saddam, it just fell apart.”
Peterson said the U.S. appears to be pursuing the same strategy in Iran as it did with Iraq, but key differences make him pessimistic about the outcome.
The first difference is topographical, he said. Iran is mountainous – “like one big fortress” – while Iraq is a largely flat desert that tanks and troops can easily traverse.
The next difference is social media, he said. People around the globe are more connected compared to then. For context, Myspace, the first social media platform to reach a global audience, didn’t launch until August 2003.
He feels conflicted about the war: The Iranian government reportedly killed thousands of protesters in January, but it’s been years since a major terrorist attack occurred on U.S. soil.
“Are we killing the terrorists in the Middle East before they get here? Is Iran really building nukes, just like they said Iraq was doing in 2003?” he said.
In January, the Iranian government violently cracked down on nationwide protesters, with death toll estimates varying widely.
He said if the U.S. intends to deploy ground troops, he expects it to be soon – before summertime and hot temperatures set in.
Another local veteran, who identified himself by his nickname, Doc, lives south of Durango and served in Afghanistan.
He said the Iranian government is killing civilians who don’t share its values and it is good the U.S. is trying to force a change in power.
Unseating Iran’s current regime will take work, he said, and airstrikes are a good start – but the U.S. will likely need ground troops.
“The Marines are there and I know the 82nd Airborne Division is on the way,” he said. “One of the big things I’m happy that we did is we actually got that aircraft pilot back last night.”
He was referring to two F-15E crew members of a fighter jet that was shot down over Iran on Friday. NBC News reported on Saturday the pilot was rescued shortly after the crash, and the second crew member was safely rescued later that weekend.
He acknowledged President Donald Trump’s descriptions of the conflict – that it is a war, that it isn’t a war, that the war has already been won – are inconsistent. But top brass have sensitive information they aren’t going to share with the public.
He said the service members carrying out operations will “give it to you straight.”
Doc said he joined the Army in 2005 at 20 years old. He started in the 101st Airborne Division as an aircraft mechanic, but he was young and looking for something more “badass.” He transferred to the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) and reclassified as a combat medic.
His first deployment was in 2008. He was inspired to enter service by his grandfathers on his mother’s and his father’s sides of the family, who served in World War II.
He grew close to the people around him during training, and his service became about supporting those around him, he said.
Like Peterson, the Sept. 11 attacks inspired him to join. He said he always knew he would join, but the attacks solidified that mindset.
“That was our generation’s Pearl Harbor,’ he said.
He remembers during his first deployment higher ranking people around him calling it the bloodiest stretch of time in Afghanistan – the Taliban was just beginning to build improvised explosive devices and the country “was just riddled with them,” he said.
Doc was hit by an IED, he said. He was riding in an armored truck and suffered some broken bones. The soldiers in another truck driving ahead weren’t so lucky – they were killed.
“It actually lifted the truck into the into the air, and they were gone,” he said. “The blast was strong enough (that) it blew the driver out of his seat belt. It broke his seat belt into me, broke my left knee, my lower back and my right shoulder all at the same time.”
Combat was chaotic, he said. He noticed opposing forces weren’t exactly well-trained. But they used IEDs and ambush tactics, making it difficult for U.S. forces to locate and neutralize them.
“You always had your head on a swivel,” he said.
He said he eventually retired with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Peterson said the Trump administration’s claim that Iran is working on expanding its nuclear capabilities is “very similar” to the Bush administration’s false claims Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. He said Iran has drones and is likely receiving missiles from Russia, but he is more concerned about insurgencies forming if Iran’s regime is toppled.
He said the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks orchestrated by al-Qaida motivated him to enlist in the U.S. Armed Forces. He met a recruiter at age 17. He had just turned 18 and graduated from high school, but he missed his high school graduation in Pagosa Springs because he was at the Denver Military Entrance Processing Station. He turned 19 in the place thought to be the site of ancient Babylon about 50 miles outside Baghdad.
Peterson said he was under the impression he would be sent to Afghanistan. When it came time for employment, he was told he was going to Iraq instead.
“I don’t think they should be allowed to do it,” he said of military recruiters in high schools. “… Your brain isn’t fully developed. I took a head injury in Baghdad and couldn’t heal for weeks afterward,” he said.
He said he has neurological problems after being exposed to burn pits where human feces and other hazardous materials were disposed of.
A friend he served with just had his gallbladder removed, he said. Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are aging and having new health issues.
There are other long-term consequences of another war in the Middle East that worry Peterson, too, he said.
“One thing I took from my time in Iraq is that the children of the dads, brothers and uncles we killed in 2003-2004 are now of military age, and I’m sure they want revenge,” he said.
Doc said regardless of whether Americans support the Iran war, the service members engaged in operations are on the front line and need the country’s support.
“We’re the ones doing the job that only a very small percentage of the country wants to sign up to do,” he said. “Support for that would be amazing. Instead of listening to people in our government who have their own opinions and are basically trying to – in my opinion – indoctrinate some of our population, people need to form their own opinions and get the facts.”
cburney@durangoherald.com
