Iraq the top issue for UMass Marine
When Steve Shepard, a current UMass student, joined the United States Marine Corps in the summer of 2001, he had no idea what was in store for him. “I remember thinking what are the odds a war is going to break out in the next six years, and then six weeks later, 9-11 happened. All of a sudden it was a whole new ballgame.”
AUDIO: A Tragic Personal Experience
After serving from August 2001 to March 2006, it is Shepard’s experience that now has made the war the single most defining issue for him in the 2008 elections.
“I do have my own personal political beliefs and they certainly do not lie with John McCain,” he said. “I might agree with other things he has to set forth, but the number one thing for me, right now, is making sure that the people I’m close to, the people that I call brothers, get to live under a responsible government and I don’t think perpetuating the war in Iraq is a responsible idea.”
A 2001 graduate of Minnechaug Regional High School in Wilbraham, Mass., Shepard chose to join the Marines after UMass, his college of choice, was unable to provide him housing that fall. He recalls, “I had a choice. I could either commute to college or my parents offered to buy me a Eurorail pass. Since I never really wanted to live off my parents’ money, I decided that, against my parents’ wishes, I would join the Marines.”
Since that decision seven years ago, Shepard has had two tours of duty in the Persian Gulf and Fallujah.
When Shepard told his parents about his plan to join the United States Marine Corps, he was immediately met with opposition. His parents, Bill and Nancy Shepard, were not in favor of the war. Shepard said, “My mom is a very liberal Democrat, very peace-loving and my father is more middle of the road. They are very, very proud of me, but I can tell that the war isn’t very popular in my family.”
Shepard remembers his own mixed feelings at the start of the war. “To be honest, I didn’t really agree with the war, but I still wanted to be there because we’re Marines, and that’s what we do,” he said. “It is our job and when you train very hard for that job, especially as an infantry guy, you want to get out there and you want to do your job.”
After serving from 2001 to March 2006, Shepard says, “Hindsight is 20-20, but looking back on it, it’s just a huge disaster. The civilian minds that were planning the war… they should be held accountable for what they’ve done.
“Now actually having been through the occupation and seeing what happens when you go to war, it’s hard to reconcile it.” Shepard feels the troops are being used haphazardly and that America jumped into war before completely understanding the consequences. He said, “There was no regard for prior military minds speaking their minds about the things we would need and things we didn’t need, how the war should be handled.
“We have to deal with the consequences of other people’s actions, and I’m not complaining about it, but it doesn’t make it right,” he said.
After his experiences in Iraq, the issues in the 2008 elections have a personal connection to Shepard. “To me, Iraq is the most important decision that our generation is going to make. When are we going to say enough is enough? Or change it so we can actually have some sort of favorable outcome. It’s the number one life changing experience that I’ve had, and I wouldn’t wish that on anyone else, ever.”
Shepard retired as a sergeant from the United States Marine Corps in 2006. He says, “My mother hated it. She could have lost a son. She doesn’t even know how many times she could have lost a son. That would be horrible for her. That was one of the many reasons for me not staying in the Marine Corps. I just don’t think I could put my family through it again.”
Shepard has been home from Iraq for over a year. He returned to UMass to finish his degree and expects to graduate in the fall of 2008. School is just one of the many things he put on pause to serve as a Marine, including his relationships with friends and family.
“Your entire life screeches to a halt… all your friends, all your family,” he said. “It doesn’t just affect troops; it affects everybody that knows them. It’s a hard thing to go through. But in the end, for me at least, I’m glad because it makes me realize who’s important and who isn’t. Some things are worth putting on pause.
“My loyalty is to the Marines that I served with, and to the Marines that I’ve never met who will serve after me. My loyalty is to them.”