Spokane, Wash. / Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
Page 13
Friday, October 15, 2021
VETERANS CHRONICLE
What we’re thinking before and after combat Richard Hannah shares memories of Army service By Ruth Aresvik
VETERANS HELP NET CORRESPONDENT
Every military individual has a unique story. Every veteran absorbs that time in service into their blood: it becomes a part of their DNA. For those who serve in combat, these tours of duty can be hard to explain; hard to talk about. They are mixed with raw memories and emotion. What happens before, during, and after war is separate yet together - but always with you. Richard Hannah of Post Falls experienced 24 years with the U. S. Army, including four combat deployments. He agreed to share his answers to these five questions:
1. What led you to join the Army?
In 1993, I was at rock bottom, constantly partying and losing jobs and I knew I had to make an extreme change in my life. My father suggested I consider the military. We visited the Army recruiter, but my weight was not within the standards to join. After three months of dieting and riding my bike around a 5-mile lakeside loop, I was able to join the Army. In October 1993, I was shipped off to Ft. Jackson, South Carolina, for basic training, then Ft. Gordon, Georgia, for my specialty as a wire systems installer/maintainer.
2. You were stationed at Fort Huachuca in
Arizona on Sept. 11, 2001. What was that day like there?
I had just returned from training in Georgia on September 9, 2011. My wife was visiting her mother in Colorado, and was scheduled to fly home to Arizona the next day, but all flights were grounded. My supervisor confirmed that we were at THREATCON Delta. He told me to be prepared to go to war. I was still officially on leave at the time, so I packed up my two young children and our dog into the minivan that afternoon. I drove about 11 hours to get my wife and brought her home, then prepared to deploy if called upon.
3. Can you share any details about your four combat deployments?
QATAR: I was deployed to Qatar in April 2002. Our mission was to wire seven warehouses and prepare them as CENTCOM headquarters, the main hub for Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) command and control. We ran a total of 1800 pair cable and 44 fiber optic strands with 3773 splices to provide secure and non-secure voice and data.
I didn't realize I had the best that could be PTSD for many years, un- done on an extremely til I retired from the Army tight deadline. I disagree 11 months, we completed and began post medical with the timeline...the miles of copper and fiber with the VA. I was used to quick withdrawal was a cable construction to sup- the "suck it up and drive big factor in the loss of port communications. We on" – that unwritten sol- the last 13 personnel. I completely wired eight? dier mentality as a leader. feel we should have beten? – lost count! – build- I was depressed, angry, gun our withdrawal afings. and easily startled by loud ter Osama Bin Laden IRAQ: In 2005 while noises for a long time. was killed. This is just stationed in Ft. Drum, This was extremely chal- my opinion, but I feel we New York, I was deployed lenging my last five to six went way above and beto Camp Liberty, Bagh- years of my career. yond the call of duty in dad. I was with the 10th trying to provide democMountain Division supracy to a country which porting the 1st Brigade 5. Any thoughts was split between adaptCombat Team. My shop about the ing to democracy and was responsible for prowithdrawal of fighting it tooth and nail. viding radio communicaU.S. forces in COURTESY PHOTO I feel this fueled many tions to convoys that were Afghanistan? insurgents to step up the Post Falls resident Richard escorting our support I am extremely grateful fight to stand against Hannah served in the teams to Abu Grab to in- that the soldiers, civilians American's ways and U.S. Army for 24 years, stall cement barriers for and our Afghan counter- against the adaptation of including two deployments protection from mortars. parts were withdrawn, the western culture. in Afghanistan. We also provided secure and non-secure voice and data to all headquarters OUR COMMUNITY’S ONLY NONPROFIT HOSPICE, buildings. SERVING PATIENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES SINCE 1977. AFGHANISTAN NO. 2:
I was in Ft. Lewis, Washington in 2009, and was deployed to Afghanistan for the second time. I was stationed with the 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team. The mission was to push the Taliban out of the Jelwar Province which was near the HQ's Kandahar Airfield. My Platoon was responsible for communications to Brigade Headquarters. We lost many soldiers the first six months due to flaws in the combat vehicles, which eventually were redesigned.
“AS MEDICAL DIRECTOR, I am honored to work with an amazing team of professionals, all focused on the same goal of helping each patient have the best life they can for as long as they have.” – Dr. Brian Seppi MeDical Director
AFGHANISTAN NO. 1:
In August 2002, I went directly from Qatar to Afghanistan to support GWOT – Global War on Terror. We completely wired up Bagram Air Base with copper and fiber optic cable to support the communications infrastructure of Bagram. For
4. What have you found challenging after returning home?
The most challenging issues were getting those horrid events that I witnessed during EACH deployment out of my head.
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