Life on the Ground in Iraq: A Soldier's Story Part II

When someone asks Sergeant Major Caterina Veronesi why she joined the U.S. Army, she doesn't say, but often thinks: "Why didn't you?"

Although her father, Tom Veronesi, influenced her decision, he never told her to join. He simply talked about his love of the military and what it stood for.

"I'm all for the service. I believe every capable boy or girl should serve," he said. "I believe we owe this to ourselves, to our country, and to those who came before us."

Veronesi joined the Army in 1985. She joined the Army Reserves after six years on active duty. Now, as she prepares to deploy to Iraq for the second time, she reflects on the growing gulf between civilians and the military.  Civilians don't seem to understand what the U.S. armed forces does on a daily basis to protect freedom at home and abroad, she said.

"The last time I was home [from Iraq] one of my bosses asked me if I had been away on a sabbatical, as if I was a professor at a university," Veronesi said. "Others would say to me: 'Cat, you don't laugh the same way any more, or speak the same way.'"

This month the flag flies at half-mast to honor Lance Cpl. Tyler Owen Griffen, 19, a Marine from Voluntown, Conn. Griffen was killed in Afghanistan by an improvised explosive device, or IED. But it's not a state with a large warrior class; there are few overt signs that its citizens serve.

"There is a disconnect with civilians," Veronesi said. "You come off of a high, you were faced with death, and you've seen your last days. When you come back home it's striking to the military person the lack of respect here, the lack of order."

Until January, Veronesi was in Djibouti, Africa. She was stationed at Camp Lemonnier, named for the French General Emile-Rene Lemonnier, whom the Japanese executed in 1945. Assigned to Combined Joint Task Force consisting of U.S. Navy, Air Force, and Marines, Veronesi worked on humanitarian and counter-terrorism efforts.

Before that, Veronesi served in Iraq between April 2006 and November 2007, three years after the war began. Saddam Hussein's colossal statue had been pulled down and places such as Fallujah and Sadr City no longer commanded the front page.

Creating stability and security for the Iraqi people was paramount. Decades of neglect and underdevelopment across the Fertile Crescent needed tending to. Battle damage needed repairing. As part of the 352nd Civil Affairs Command, or CACOM, Veronesi worked with civilian counterparts.

"We spent our time discovering what's broken and what needs fixing," Veronesi said.  "Restoring an area to normalcy ends a war. Not winning the last battle."

CACOM spent days and nights investigating what needed fixing, from schools to medical units, from air conditioning to water supplies.

In the beginning of the deployment, things didn't always operate smoothly, Veronesi said. Vehicles weren't always battle-ready and some soldiers were apprehensive. The relentless IEDs, attacks on convoys, took a toll. Sometimes, for example, a soldier told Veronesi they could no longer handle driving a truck outside the base.

"The trick is to find a role for all," Veronesi said. "Then the fear dissipates a bit because you feel needed. But when you go to war, the first 100 days are the worst. It's there that people get into trouble."

Veronesi, however, takes care of her soldiers.

"She is such a mother to these soldiers," said her own mother Grace Veronesi who worked part-time at Barber Serville in Fairfield. The shop belonged to Caterina's great uncle, Bill Serville.

Veronesi, originally from Stamford, now lives with her parents between deployments. The temporary move gives her refuge.

"My mother is due the rank Sergeant Major as much as me," Veronesi said. "My mother has seen what the Army did for me and my parents have always been there for me."

Between deployments Veronesi worked for several area businesses including Daymon Worldwide in Stamford, Cannondale Associates in Wilton, and Tridex Corporation in Westport. Now she is pursuing a career in Federal Civil Service in International Relations.

Although Veronesi almost lost her life on her last deployment, her mother Grace doesn't allow fear to consume her.

"My faith is major. I've learned to trust God more and more," said Grace Veronesi. "I let people know in our church to pray for our soldiers."

A highly decorated soldier, Veronesi's military medals include the Bronze Star, Combat Action Badge, the Meritorious Service Award, and the Purple Heart. But the Sergeant Major brushed aside mention of the medals. Instead she spoke about the promise of Iraq.

The recent elections are just one symptom of progress, Veronesi said.

Every day, ordinary Iraqis across the country face insurgents, who Veronesi likens to street fighters who don't fight fair. Many Iraqi civilians also endure unemployment, no electricity, and no running water. She recalled seeing children using plastic jugs to fill water from cesspools.

Still it's a proud nation, able to do much with little, she said. Progress comes in increments.

"These Iraqis are proud of where they're from. They don't want to move," Veronesi said. "They've lived there for generations. For everything they have been through these people are resilient."

Veronesi, who routinely interacted with Iraqis, said sports and school buoy spirits.  For Veronesi, calm in a combat zone came from athletics and arts. She used to run up a place called Signal Hill, in 110-degree heat. And of course there was music.

"Monotony and complacency are in full effect when you are deployed. You need to have an outlet," she said.

And so jazz and opera, particularly Pavarotti's aria "Nessun Dorma" from "Turandot," filled her ears. The opera star wrote Veronesi when she studied opera.

Ever-dedicated, Veronesi spends her time taking voice lessons and taking care of pre-deployment business. She is also preparing to sing the National Anthem at the Female Soldier, Forgotten Hero May 1 gala.

Next Installment:  Sergeant Major Caterina Veronesi prepares to sing the National Anthem.

To read the first installment, click here.