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The Heart Beat

Love sprouts from seeds of war

Amid suffering and hardship in Iraq, two soldiers forge a connection. Now they're creating a new life together here.

By AMY SCHERZER
Published June 24, 2005

DAVIS ISLANDS - Stationed in Baghdad in April 2003, Michael Scionti fought hard to win the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people.

He wasn't expecting to win the heart of Zsuzanna Tamas.

"Furthest thing from my mind - we were in the middle of war," said Scionti, 36, who served as a judge advocate general with the 3rd Infantry Division.

Romanian-born Tamas, 25, enlisted in the U.S. Army during a yearlong visit to America. She met Scionti at a temporary camp on the banks of the Euphrates River near Baghdad, where she did paralegal work with the 130th Combat Engineers.

"He was a friendly face during a difficult time," she said.

"She was smiling at a time not many people were smiling," he said. Conditions were austere, primitive, Scionti said.

"Life was so hard, relationships were your last concern," added Tamas. "If you had any free time you used it for washing clothes."

The soldiers kept in touch after the military transferred her to Bamberg, Germany. She sent him a care package with warm gloves, a hat, instant soup and a pillow.

During his 12 months in Iraq, he investigated Iraqi claims under the Foreign Tort Claim Act, helped set up Fallujah's criminal justice system and presided over enemy prisoner of war and insurgent tribunals as a military magistrate.

For five months, Scionti lived in a tent outside Abu Ghraib prison.

"As we were handling appeals and recommending releases, mortars were coming over the walls," he said.

When reports of detainee abuse surfaced, he issued warrants to search the belongings of those involved. He cried while viewing hundreds of pictures and video clips.

"I realized how devastating they were going to be," Scionti said. "We were so proud of our accomplishments and knew this would overshadow the tremendous work we were doing."

Son of Susan and the late Mike Scionti, former chairman of the Hillsborough Democratic Executive Committee, Scionti grew up knowing two things about himself: He wanted to be a prosecutor and serve in public office.

"My role models were my Uncle Louis de la Parte and E.J. Salcines," he said. "On Saturday mornings, I'd tag along on my dad's coffee rounds to La Tropicana, La Ideal, Mirabella Fish Market."

In the 1970s, Scionti shadowed his father in Tallahassee, where he was a legislative aide. He was devastated in August 2002 when his father died of a heart attack on a tennis court.

A 1986 Plant High School graduate, Scionti earned a degree in criminal justice from Florida State University in 1990. He spent two years in the Hillsborough County Sheriff's deputy reserves while a social worker for the county's public assistance department. Armed with a law degree from South Texas College of Law in 1996, he "couldn't become a prosector fast enough," he said.

Between 1995 and 2001, he clerked for 2nd District Court of Appeal Judge Richard Lazzara and handled criminal appeals for former Attorney General Bob Butterworth. He prosecuted for Hillsborough State Attorneys Mark Ober and the late Harry Lee Coe and Florida Attorney General Charlie Crist.

In 2000, Scionti enlisted in the Army Reserve JAG Corps, volunteering a few days after 9/11 for Operation Noble Eagle, assisting soldiers at Fort Stewart, Ga., with legal matters before they deployed.

Tamas grew up in Deva, Romania, a town of 80,000 at the foot of 13th century citadel ruins in Transylvania.

She graduated from high school in 1998 with an emphasis in art but decided it made a better hobby than a profession. Visiting cousins in Tennessee in 2000, she made up her mind to join the Army and become a permanent U.S. resident.

"I was lonely and I loved America," Tamas said. "I wanted to serve." Two months ago, she completed her four-year tour, which ended at Fort Lewis in Seattle.

When Scionti came back to the States last August, Tamas was one of the first people he called.

When can you come to Tampa, he asked?

Next week, she replied. They explored Busch Gardens and walked on the beach. She saw her first pelican.

"I'm never one to rush into anything," Scionti said. "But I knew."

He proposed on her next visit, Oct. 1.

He timed the drive from the airport to Redington Beach to coincide with the sunset. He planted a bottle of wine in a family condo and booked a dinner reservation at the Maritana Grill at the Don Cesar Beach Resort. He planted a stick in the sand near the pier.

It all went perfectly as planned. Holding her tight as she gazed at the sunset, he took the stick and wrote in the sand: WILL YOU MARRY ME? She wrote back: YES.

After dinner, a dozen of his friends joined them at the piano bar. The next morning, as a reminder of their time in the Iraqi desert, he scooped his sandy proposal into the empty bottle.

The couple were married three days later by 2nd District Court of Appeal Judge Salcines in his Tampa courtroom.

"We'd been living simple lives," Scionti said. "We wanted to keep it simple."

Next year, they will repeat their vows surrounded by family in a big cathedral in Deva and honeymoon in Dracula's Castle. In the meantime, she's enrolled in premed classes at the University of South Florida. Scionti has announced his candidacy for state House District 58, which covers parts of West Tampa, Town 'N Country and East Tampa.

Amy Scherzer can be reached at 226-3332 or scherzer@sptimes.com

[Last modified June 23, 2005, 08:21:23]