Dateline: October 27, 2005

Native son returns home from service in Iraq

By Roger  Estlack, Clarendon Enterprise

Lance Corporal Nathan Floyd is glad to be home; and while he is realistic about what’s happening in Iraq, he says he’ll go back any time to serve his country.

The Clarendon High School graduate and son of Johnny Floyd and Terri Floyd returned October 14 after being deployed March 10 with United States Marines Fourth Tank Battalion.

“I like the thought of helping people and serving my country,” Floyd said.

Floyd was one of 47 Marine Reserves, all of whom came home, who were activated from the tri-state area to provide base security at Camp Fallujah near Baghdad, a place the Clarendon native said was filled with uncertainty.

“They [the Iraqis] are hard to trust,” he said. “You can’t talk to them because you don’t know their language. Half of them want us there, the other half do not, and you don’t which half is which.”

The Fourth Tanks was in charge of searching every person and vehicle coming onto and leaving the base, and Floyd said it was common to find weapons, brass knuckles, and ammunition.

“They would try to steal ammunition to use against us,” he said.

Fortunately, Floyd was never drawn into a heavy conflict or engagement, but he said random attacks were not uncommon.

“Usually at night we’d have people take pot shots at us, but we got lucky.”

The Fourth Tanks did not lose a single man during their deployment.

Floyd said the US may not be doing any good in Iraq even though one of the region’s dictators has been eliminated.

“I think fighting will always be there,” he said. “It’s just like the Bible says – that land is cursed.”

But Floyd does agree that American can either fight terrorists on their own soil or fight them here at home, and he says recent terrorist attacks in London and elsewhere are meant to distract the United States from its mission.

Floyd also says that the best thing that could come from US policy in Iraq would be to influence future generations there.

“Hopefully we’re helping the children in Iraq, and maybe they will one day have a different outlook on things.”

Floyd joined the Marine Reserves after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, because he was afraid that terrorists might try to hit close to home again. He also liked the benefits offered by the military and liked the idea of having some direction in his life, which, he said, was going no where at that time.

“I have no regrets,” he said. “I’ll be on active duty until January, and then I’ll do the weekend thing in Amarillo after that.”

Floyd has three years left of his commitment to the Marine Reserves, after which he says he will probably reenlist in order to keep doing his part.

Floyd also appreciates everything his hometown did for him while he was in Iraq.

“I got letters and a lot of support from everybody,” he said. “People I didn’t even know wrote me letters. I couldn’t have asked for more support.”