Web link gives students another view of Iraq

One by one, the Marlborough High School students stepped in front of a camera that relayed their images to the deserts of Iraq. They asked soldiers what life was like there, and what they missed most about home.

From their barracks outside Al Kut in southern Iraq, members of an Army Reserve division told the students that life was hard, but worthwhile. They missed their families and showers and fast food, but were proud to be helping Iraq get back on its feet.

The soldiers from the 98th Division, who are training Iraqi security forces, told students that Iraqis are making great strides toward reclaiming their country.

"In the news, you only see the negative," said Sergeant First Class Dave MacMullen of Groveland. "You won't see us training Iraqi NCOs [noncommissioned officers]. It just doesn't sell or get good ratings, I guess."

The students and soldiers were able to see and talk to one another through a satellite webcast arranged by English teacher Mark Vital and his friend John Langton, a sergeant first class from Wakefield who is also a member of the division.

Vital and Langton have been e-mailing each other occasionally since Langton was deployed in the fall, and Vital's students have also sent the soldiers messages.

Students said the virtual field trip opened their eyes to the dangers and progress of the military's work in Iraq. The soldiers described their work with honesty, pride, and frequent humor, which students said put the servicemen and women in a new light.

"It made me realize they are more than just soldiers," said Dan Rudzinsky. Many students expressed surprise at the soldiers' optimism about the war effort and blamed news reports that they said had neglected troops' progress in bringing peace and rebuilding the country.

The live Internet feed was steady, although occasionally choppy, and the audio experienced only slight delays. Students could hear the soldiers laughing and poking fun at one another's responses in the background.

Vital, who served in the Army Corps of Engineers in the 1980s, said he wanted his students to appreciate the soldiers' sacrifice and understand what it entailed by speaking directly to them.

He said he hoped the event would also boost the spirits of the soldiers, most of whom are on a 16-month tour of duty.

The broadcast, sponsored by Rohm and Haas Co. and held at the company's Marlborough site, had previously been postponed by snowstorms here and sandstorms in Iraq.

The students, seniors who are taking Vital's communication classes, asked direct, thoughtful questions they had written beforehand. Students smiled as soldiers described things they miss: showers, flush toilets, comfortable beds, and the freedom to do what they please.

Courtney Webby asked the soldiers if they would leave Iraq if they could. Staff Sergeant Tim Bragg said that while soldiers stationed overseas miss their homes, they feel bound by duty.

"If I left, my brothers wouldn't have my support," Bragg said.

Despite insurgents' opposition, new roads, schools, homes, and businesses are being built throughout the country, soldiers said. The economy is showing signs of life as more Iraqis find work. Freed from Saddam Hussein's tyranny, the majority of Iraqis want to help the American effort to stabilize the country, soldiers said.

"The more we work with them, the more we realize they believe in their country," said Sergeant First Class Mark Ridgeway. "It's just going to take some time."

Bragg and other soldiers described the pride Iraqis felt in voting during the recent election. An interpreter working for the unit, a 22-year-old who did not identify himself, made a brief appearance, saying he was grateful to the military for overthrowing Hussein.

"He feels like he is a free man now," Ridgeway said.

Many students were moved by a story Ridgeway told to illustrate many Iraqis' support for the American effort. A convoy traveling down the road stopped because a young girl, about 8 years old, would not move out of the way. At first, soldiers were scared to approach her, fearing a trap. But when they did, she told them she had seen insurgents plant explosives in the road just ahead.

"I took that to heart," Ridgeway said.