Our Soldiers ARE Rockstars

From the life of a soldier: (this interview of Zeb Philpott by Sandra Jontz of the Stars and Stripes). I have selected some key phrases from the article for you to savor...

Capt. Philpott has spent 4 out of his 6 years as a Marine in Iraq and begins another.

“I’d love to come back and visit,” he said in a recent interview. “This country is absolutely beautiful. Its beauty is stark, raw.” He hopes to be able to come back to a safe Iraq one day as a tourist.


“In 2003, we came in [to towns and villages] and the people were real emotional, real appreciative….In some places we went through, we were like rock stars.”


He also recalls an elderly man exiting the polls in December 2005: “He came out, inky fingers, came out and hugs one of my sergeants. It was so unexpected. He’d said in his entire life this was the first time he felt part of the country. ‘Now I left my mark on this country,’” said Philpott, repeating the man’s words.

Looking back he also says there was a point just after the push into Iraq in 2003 in which he and his crew hadn’t showered in 42 days: “One of my corporals finally lost it one day and comes on the radio: ‘Sir, you stink,’ and clicks off.”

“You get pretty ripe,” he says. “Now living at TQ [a base] one can shower 6 times a day if work schedules permit…this is my fourth time back, and it’s almost comfortable,” he says, referring to living conditions.

Things are constantly evolving, and perhaps some Iraqis have taken a negative cue from world media, and there are memories he would also rather forget. But I thought Capt. Zeb’s words were worth noting. Another interview coming soon!