The first thing that 1st lieutenants Raymond P Zavalla and Mike Smyczynski will do when they get back from Iraq is get some food. Zavalla would like a nice bagel sandwich, and Smyczynski, a slice of pizza.
Although the two men are from different parts of the country (Zavalla from Hazlet and Smyczynski from Bayonne), they have become fast friends.
“I met Mike in 2003 at the Basic School in Quantico, Virginia,” said Zavalla recently. “As soon as we knew that we were both from Jersey, I started cursing at him and we connected.”
During an interview done partly by satellite phone and partly by e-mail with Iraq, the two Marines talked about their lives there recently.
Smyczynski grew up in the southeast part of Bayonne and attended Bayonne High School and then Rutgers University with a double major in psychology and criminal justice and a minor in biology. He graduated on the dean’s list.
He is currently a United State Marine Corps artillery officer with the 2nd Battalion, 10th Marine Regiment at Camp Taqqadum, Iraq.
“His main job here is to protect our base from insurgent attacks,” Zavalla said. “Mike has seen some combat out here, and thanks to the efforts of the Marines under his charge, the attacks on our base have been greatly reduced.”
This base has more than 6,000 personnel he and his Marines must protect.
Zavalla and Smyczynski have been working in support of combat troops around Fallujah and Ramadi. Marine military police, infantry, helicopters and support elements are based in Camp Taqqadum. This is one of the largest bases in Iraq and is the main logistical supply point for the region. It is the lifeline to all of the other smaller bases within the Sunni Triangle.”
Zavalla added, “It’s at the old Iraqi air base Al Taqqadum, 35 miles west of Baghdad and close to the scene of fighting in Fallujah and Ramadi, where Marines and Iraqi government forces have prepared for an offensive against urban guerrilla fighters.”
Smyczynski said, “It’s roughly a square mile and manned 24 hours a day by my platoon of 67 Marines.”
Bayonne mom supports decision
Smyczynski was supposed to attend the NJ State Trooper Academy. But after the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, he decided to join the Marines.
“I remember when Michael was accepted into the N.J. state troopers, and two weeks before he was to go away to the training camp, he withdrew, because it was then that he realized that his heart was really in the Marine Corps,” said Josie Smyczynski, Michael’s mother. “I have to admit I was a little afraid for him to do this with all that was going on in the world. Most of his family and friends told him he should stay with the State Police but, as they say, ‘Your feet take you where your heart wants to go.’ ”
Smyczynski frequently talked about ‘making a difference” and giving people in the other parts of the worlds a chance for freedom and peace.
“I love my son and he has always been an encouragement to me, and I admire him for the way he makes wise decisions and how he stands behind them because it is what he believes,” she said. “He has always shown dedication and diligence in obtaining all his goals through life’s paths, and is a very strong and independent person who always seems to make the right choices in difficult tasks and situations. He has taught me many lessons along the way.”
Living a sparse life in Iraq
Zavalla works as a communication officer maintaining communication systems and providing the Marines with whatever they need.
For Smyczynski, life involves constant surveillance.
“The entire time that we have been out here so far, I was responsible for patrolling approximately 150 square kilometers [over 90 miles] around the base keeping it free from enemy activity,” he said.
This means sweeping main supply routes for explosives, seeking out weapons caches, and setting up observation and check points to keep the base free from attack. He also serves as an instructor for urban combat, training Marines how to patrol, cordon buildings, clear rooms, and to react to sniper attacks and ambushes.
“The aim of this type of training is to reduce the amount of casualties in an urban environment, which tends to be pretty high,” he said.
Entertainment during off duty is sparse: month-old DVDs, some music, and a lot of books. They eat meals in a chow hall that serves thousands of people three times a day.
“The food is okay,” Zavalla said.
E-mail is an important connection to home, and the soldiers have a decent internet connection, although they also use calling cards and satellite phones.
The world is dusty and hot, with no pavement or indoor plumbing.
“[We live in] very Spartan-like conditions,” Zavalla said. “Sometimes the power and heat go out and it gets really cold. Everyone is constantly busy. There are vehicles, loud airplanes and helicopters all the time.”
Temperatures this time of year range from 40 degrees at night to almost 70 during the day. They can look out onto a lot of sand and a few bombed out planes.
Connections
Zavalla said the Iraqi people are generally happy with them.
“I have given Oreos to some of the kids that work here,” he said. “I treat them with respect and dignity. They were really happy to have elections in the country for the first time.”
Both men miss a lot of small things about New Jersey.
Along with his missing riding his bicycle and driving his 4Runner, Zavalla said he misses the people.
“It’s difficult to explain, but once you see someone from Jersey in Iraq, you have an instant connection,” he said. “That’s why Mike and I get along.”
When asked what he missed about back home, Smyczynski said, “I know that the expected answer is ‘family and friends,’ but that really is the true answer. Being in a place like this really makes you see what you have back home and just makes those people and things mean that much more to you. It is a necessary evil, though, because we do this out here so that our family and friends can enjoy their lives back home. People back home have the freedom to do things like: going out to nice restaurants, going to the movies, or even just sitting in the comforts of their own home because we do our job well out here. We keep the fight out here so that we don’t have to fight back home. The payoff of our job is freedom, talk about job satisfaction – oh, and putting people back in their place when they get out of hand out here is just a perk of the job.”
Important mission
Both men said they believe in their mission and believe it will make a difference in the lives of the people there, as well as keep America safe from terrorists’ attack.
Both men said they need people back home to support the troops.
“We are often in places where nothing is familiar to us, and it helps a great deal when you know that people are behind you even though they may not be physically there,” Smyczynski said. “It doesn’t take much for someone back home to jot a few words of encouragement or send a small care package just to let someone know that you support them. Just another thing to remember, you can’t say that you don’t support the war but you support the troops, because how can someone really feel supported if you don’t support what it is that they are doing?”
Contact Al Sullivan at asullivan@hudsonreporter.com