As they say, “till the time there’s at least one person left with goodness in mind, the world will have hopes.” So no doubt civilians have a unique place for soldiers in their hearts. We all know what soldiers undergo and how much strength does it take to choose a military way of living. Not just soldiers but their families and friends live with a constant fear. We all know what these men do for us can never be repaid and that’s what develops this undeniable respect for them. Brave hearts might die but their stories and the impact that they leave on this world remains forever.

This story is of whatever you would like to call it, just a coincidence or fate. It’s about a father’s grief, a soldier’s ongoing struggle to recover, a son’s life that ended in the war, all of it came face to face one fine day.

Childhood Dream

This is the story of a boy who dreamt only one dream since childhood; a dream of becoming a sergeant one day. A dream to serve his country. His parents could see that passion in his eyes whenever he talked about military life. They knew one day he’ll take off and they have to let him go. This boy grew up in Somers, New York and studied at Arlington High School. The one moment he has been waiting for came to him with the start of the Iraq War…

Iraq War

In 2003, Iraq was under the government of Saddam Hussein when the coalition forces invaded the country and overthrew the then present government. This was the start of the Iraq War, with 177,194 troops sent to Iraq. Within the initial stage of the war, more than hundreds of thousands of soldiers were sent to the war zone. 

William Jazwinski

William Jazwinski was one of the soldiers who was sent to the war zone right after his training was completed. Just like other soldiers, William too left his girlfriend, mother behind on a difficult journey full of killings, bombs, and disaster. Leaving for the war zone, knowing that how returning back is an unpredictable thing brought tears in everyone’s eyes. 

When Duty Calls

When duty calls, soldiers take off. That’s what they are trained for over the years; prepared for that one moment of the war. William left his family behind for over a year. Meanwhile, the brave soldier was on foreign lands, his mother and girlfriend prayed for his safe return. William always had a passion to work for his nation. When he was deployed on the war zone, it was the opportunity to serve his nation.

Lost Lives

So, the war called many men and women, who faithfully headed to fight for the sake of peace. Sadly, not all the people made it back from the war. As the rough records say, 4,474 U.S. troops lost their lives in the Iraq War. Families kept waiting and all their hopes and expectations broke into pieces when the military men knocked on their doors to give the heartbreaking news of their soldier’s loss.

One Veteran

Anyone who had seen family and friends waiting for their soldier to return home on the airports know that feeling; the excitement is clear on their faces. This is the story of Iraq veteran William who was blessed enough to return safely from the war. He was a Heavy Wheeled Vehicle Operator and after serving his nation for more than a year in the war, he was finally sent home. The war made a deep impact on William and he couldn’t settle down in his normal life.