Op-Ed: A Chappaqua Soldier
By Shelby Monroe
December 7, 2007
The wars being fought in Iraq and Afghanistan have not affected many of us significantly.
We have not been forced to change the way we live. And in Chappaqua we live very well. We take for granted the strength of our armed forces, whose job it is to protect us, but most of us have no direct personal involvement with the military. Most of us do not have to spend our days and nights worrying about our soldiers, but some of us don’t have that choice. A handful of Chappaqua families have had to see their kids deployed, and deployed again.
Sean Markham redeployed to Afghanistan
Deirdre Kucharik is preparing for her son Sean’s second deployment. In 2004, as a member of the National Guard, Sean was sent to Iraq. This time he will be spending twelve months in Afghanistan. Deirdre is obviously proud of her son and supports his choice, but there is no doubt that she will worry about him and the members of his Task Force Phoenix team whose job, as Sean describes it, will be to “train and mentor the Afghan National Army.”
Sean grew up in Chappaqua and graduated from Horace Greeley High School in 1999. He is bright and articulate, proof of the quality of the Chappaqua school system. But Sean’s choice to enlist in the National Guard at seventeen years old, which required his parents’ signature, was anything but typical of a Chappaqua kid. One only has to have a conversation with him about his work with the Guard, however, to see that Sean is doing what he loves.
How did Sean get from the sheltered suburbs of Westchester to the war torn worlds of Iraq and Afghanistan? He credits “Tour of Duty”, a television show about an Army platoon in Vietnam, and even G.I. Joe as helping to guide his choices.
Making the most of his experiences and opportunities in the military
Sean is clearly making the most of the experiences and opportunities the National Guard presents, both professionally and personally. He has already had a varied and interesting career, and during a stint working for an ambulance company he met Keelin, a paramedic, whom he married on Nov. 17, 2007. Hard work is said to bring good luck, and Sean is very lucky to have met Keelin. Like his mom, Keelin is very proud of Sean. Instead of challenging his decisions, even though they may put him in harm’s way, Keelin lends her support and encouragement, including sharing some of her training as a paramedic so he is that much better prepared.
Despite having experienced the violence of the war in Iraq and the challenging conditions the soldiers often have to face, Sean is not afraid of what he will encounter in Afghanistan. Of the situation there, Sean says it’s a “different type of combat--more direct, more of the New York fight.”
Soldiers endure hardship, but families suffer more from uncertainties
Talk of combat does nothing to reassure Sean’s family, for whom each day will be a lesson in waiting. Although the soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan have to endure a great deal, it is the families at home who often suffer more. A soldier’s day is incredibly focused. As Sean described it, his work as a sergeant is “so simple, so pure and basic.” It is about staying alive and protecting his fellow soldiers, and carrying out his duties. But with everything left to the imagination, it is difficult for his family, and the thousands of other families like his, to relax and to take each day in stride. Part of Sean’s confidence undoubtedly comes from knowing he does his job well, and having faith in his fellow soldiers. He will be rejoining several of the men he served with in Iraq, and this must be reassuring to him, and to those men and their families as well.
Support for Sean from Chappaqua, let’s do it again
A soldier deserves the support of his family. A soldier deserves the support of his community. During his tour in Iraq, Sean felt the support of his community with every package he received. The people of Chappaqua “went above and beyond putting yellow stickers on their cars,” according to Sean, which is as it should be. Sean also said he attended a lot of welcome home dinners when he returned from Iraq.
While he is in Afghanistan, let’s do our best to show Sean we are thinking of him. And when he comes home, let’s throw Sean a big party because he deserves nothing less.
Shelby Monroe is a free-lance journalist from Chappaqua who spent four months during the summer of 2006 embedded with the 101st Airborne in Iraq. She returned to Iraq on Dec. 5 for 12 more months with the 101st.
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