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CHRIS TISCHThe relative calm and abundance of aid workers makes for a less stressful task than patrolling Iraq.
PUNTA GORDA - Sgt. 1st Class John Garrison's Florida National Guard unit was shot at every day in Iraq. The troops endured dry desert heat for 15 months. The unit's 400 members were responsible for patrolling an area crammed with 700,000 Iraqis.
Now, three months after its return from Iraq, Garrison's unit has been summoned to help the victims of Hurricane Charley. They can see that the damage is bad, that Charlotte County residents are suffering.
But they also see thousands of aid workers gathered to help them. They see the streets are mostly peaceful. They expect the area to mend.
They can't say the same for the land they once patrolled in Iraq. For that reason, they prefer being home, even though they're in an area floored by a hurricane.
"Even in these conditions, there is someone to help them," said Garrison, 37, of Miami. "There, there was no one to go to."
Garrison said that left many in his unit more grateful for what they have in the United States. That gratitude remains, even in the aftermath of a natural disaster like Charley.
"Life there, there's not much to look forward to," said Garrison, a father of two children, including a 10-month-old daughter born while he was overseas. "Here, you know it's hard, but you know eventually you're going to get through it."
The Florida National Guard has summoned about 4,000 personnel to help with the Charley relief effort. Most arrived over the weekend. They have no clue when they will return home.
Their jobs include patrolling the streets at night for prowlers or looters; directing traffic at busy intersections; and passing out ice and water at comfort stations in Charlotte County.
Though he didn't serve in Iraq, Spc. Matthew Wright, 21, was in a unit that was called up to fight. When major conflict ended, the orders were rescinded. Wright, a college student from Daytona Beach, said he prefers responding to situations within his country's borders.
"It's really gratifying. This is what I signed up for," Wright said, while taking a break from handing out ice and water at a comfort station in downtown Punta Gorda. "I signed up, so I have to do whatever comes, whatever my opinion on it," he added. "But I'd much rather be in something local than overseas because we can help these people." Of fighting on foreign sand, Wright said, "That's what the regular Army is for."
Indeed, Sgt. Henry Guzman said when his National Guard unit went into Iraq, it didn't have the armored vehicles or the vests that the Army did.
Guzman's unit was dedicated to support services both in Iraq and in Charlotte County. "Over there, we'd get attacked like eight or nine times per day," said Guzman, 30, of Miami. "We would rather be here. This is nothing. No one wants to go to war."
Staff Sgt. Piero Pareja said he does. The National Guardsman from Miami is set to ship off to Afghanistan in a few months. He is scheduled to stay there for 18 months, missing many precious days in the early life of his child, whose birth is expected in two weeks. "Duty calls," he said. "It's time to go."
Pareja, 42, moved to the United States from Peru when he was in his mid 20s. He joined the Army National Guard 14 years ago.
Pareja said Charley is his third disaster response in his military career. He hasn't flexed his military training in many real-life situations, but that will change with his mission in Afghanistan.
"I want to go big time," said Pareja, a supervisor for a windshield wiper blade company. "I don't have a doubt about it. Most of the time, nothing happens here. But we have to get rid of the threat."