Dustin Letchworth first assignment, when he went to Iraq, was to come home safe. Mission accomplished. The Zebulon resident recently completed a deployment in the war zone and talked with the Eastern Wake News about the experience of war.

Q: You are back home in Zebulon after a tour of duty in Iraq. What led you to join the military out of high school?

A: “When I graduated from East Wake High in 2008, I joined the Army. Ever since I was a little kid, there was something about the military that attracted me. It was just something I had always thought about and as I was in school, it became more and more of an option. I liked the college benefit part of it. I liked that you could put money toward school so I signed the three-year contract the Army has.”

Q: I am sure Army life was a huge adjustment. What was it like?

A: “Well, for the first nine weeks, we went for basic training and then after that, we went to school to train for our job and that training was about seven weeks.”

Q: What is your job?

A: “I am a cavalry scout. It is kind of like a recognizant mission. We set out to find the enemy – catching the enemy doing things they shouldn’t do and then we report back.”

Q: With all of the suicide bombers, I am sure it is much harder to figure out who is the enemy. Warfare seems so much different than in wars past. How do you tell who the enemy is?

A: “That’s right. A lot of our enemies wear civilian clothes. Obviously, if they have a weapon, that gets our attention. We usually wait for them to make the first move – for them to engage us before we make a move. We don’t want to second guess.”

Q: But that first move could be fatal.

A: “Oh yes. And they use IEDs (improvised explosive devices), which makes it hard.”

Q: Have you had any close calls?

A: “We have been hit with IEDs twice and luckily, no one got hurt. And we get mortared. We have a small base of about 200 so we get mortared – or shelled. They call it indirect fire.”

Q: What memory stands out the most for you?

A: The humanitarian aid we give. When we go into the local villages and hand out blankets, food, candy – you can tell it means the most to the kids. The kids are taught English in school. They can speak it better than the adults. It is just great to know it brightens their day.”

Q: Now that we have left Iraq, where do you think your next tour of duty will be?

A: “Probably Afghanistan or Kuwait.”

Q: Tell us about being home for Christmas this year with your family.

A: “It is good to see my mom and dad, Brenda and Kris Letchworth. I have an older sister, Kristen, and a younger sister, Alyssa, who is 9. I didn’t realize how much I would miss them. Alyssa was so grown up when I came home, I didn’t hardly recognize her. Since I have been home, all I have done is sleep in and go hunting. Last year, I was in Iraq for Thanksgiving and Christmas. This year, I just want to relax and spend time with family. This year is going to be so much better than last year.”

Correspondent Dena Coward