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From Raheny to Iraq

Thursday, 08 May 2008

FOR most people living in Dublin, the United States-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 – and the insurgency that has continued to this day – has been pieced together by the snippets we’ve seen on the news.
However, for one young Northsider, US President George Bush’s declared war on terror has been a very real and personal experience.
In 2001, Raheny man Graham Dale arrived in America full of hope for what this new country could offer him.
But just a few months into his time there it was Graham who decided to offer up everything he could for his adopted country.
The horrendous 9/11 attack on the World Trade Centre in New York shocked the world and left those living in the United States fearing they were under serious attack.
Caught by this mood, Graham made the fateful decision to join the US Marine Corps, in the hope that he could in some way help secure the embattled nation.

Now in his fascinating book, ‘The Green Marine’, written with Skerries journalist and author Neil Fetherstonhaugh, Graham reveals the true reality of the war in Iraq, after he arrived there as a Marine in 2004.
First, Graham had to survive three months of mental and physical hell in the notoriously tough alien world of boot camp, with the added difficulties of making himself understood.
“As a Dubliner, the one thing that was difficult was the verbal communication between myself and others,” Graham stated.
“Because of my accent and indeed the accents of the drill instructors, we had difficulties in understanding each other which in turn gave them reason to give me more attention for that very reason.”
In Green Marine, Graham vividly recalls the freezing cold nights and sweat soaked days spent patrolling the endless desert wastes of war torn western Iraq fighting an unseen enemy that was determined to kill by any means possible.
Graham revealed it was a shock to his family and friends to find out he was in Iraq.
“Even by that stage the war itself was not exactly popular, especially back at home,” he said.
“It is somewhat hard to explain to friends and family that it is something that I had to do.
“Of course, nobody wanted to see me go, but they respected my decisions as a man to enlist in the Marines and they understood that meant that I had resolved to go and do my job as best I could,” Graham added.
However, that job was not exactly the easiest or most pleasant Graham could ever have envisaged.
“Before I got to Iraq, the conservative media had done a wonderful job of painting a picture that we were rebuilding and restructuring the country,” he explained.
“But when we landed on the ground in 2004 things were going from bad to worse.
“The local population were not exactly out with huge signs reading: 'welcome to Iraq', and we spent the majority of our time merely trying not to get blown up.”
Graham said he kept his spirits up during the difficult days by keeping in touch with those closest to him back home.
“I tried to call home as often as possible which was not always easy, as when somebody got hurt or killed in the general vicinity, they cut the phone lines off,” he stated.
“One thing that I had to do before every call or email was to figure out what to tell them and what not to tell them so that they would not worry.
“I had never really told my family exactly what I did in the Marines and it was not until I came back and showed them my personal video footage that they really understood what it was that I had been doing.”
After his seven-month stint on the frontline, Graham returned to the US from Iraq where he now works as an emergency medical technician and is still a Marine Corps reservist.
“I like to make it back to Raheny at least once a year,” he added.
“I love being home and not being known as the ‘Irish guy’.
“I live in a town outside Austin, Texas, called Cedar Park with a population of less than 50,000 people and there is just one Irish man in town and that’s me.
“So it’s nice to not stand out every once in a while,” added Graham.
The Green Marine, by Graham Dale with Neil Fetherstonhaugh, is published by Hachette Books Ireland and will be available in all major bookstores.

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