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by Dawn Slade
Spc. Nick Webb is finishing his tour in Afghanistan where he has been taking care of fallen soldiers, civilians and coalition members for the past six months.
He is the son of Nancy Kriske of Duluth and George Webb of Milaca, a retired Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant.
Webb, who also did a tour in Iraq two years ago, said of his veteran father, “He provides me, more often than not, with the motivation to get through difficult times.“
We caught up with the soldier as he was getting ready to re-deploy back to Kuwait.
“Thank you first off for the support,” Webb wrote in one of his e-mails. “It is crucial that all of those back in the states realize that the most important thing for us soldiers deployed is the support we receive from those back home.
“The care packages, the correspondence and the good wishes keep a lot of us going when we hit hard times and wonder if what we’re doing is necessary or just.
“It’s the work of people like you who report what our feelings are that really make a difference, in my humble opinion. It’s nice for the folks back in the states to read something that isn’t spin or aimed at de-moralizing.”
How old are you and where/when did you graduate high school? College?
I am 22 years old. I attended two different high schools, Proctor High School in Proctor, Minnesota and Harding High School in St. Paul. In June 2005, I graduated from Harding. While in high school in Proctor, I attended Lake Superior College. After graduating, I attended Metropolitan University in St. Paul. After completing a year, I realized I needed a change in my life. I walked inside of the Army recruiting post in St. Paul and joined in September 2006.
Where are you located in Afghanistan?
I am located in Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, approximately 25 miles north of the capital, Kabul.
What are your duties in Afghanistan?
My duties here in Afghanistan are to ensure that the fallen Heros, fallen coalition or fallen civilians who passed away receive the best care possible from the place of incident to Dover Port Mortuary in Dover, Delaware.
I do all of the paperwork for these fallen Heroes, as well as process the personnel effects that fallen soldiers have enmassed during their deployment.
Beyond the shadow of a doubt, this is the most honorable mission, anywhere.
The individuals who travel through Bagram Mortuary have laid down their lives for all of us, and that is an honor only the families who receive their loved ones can ever fully comprehend.
The two deployments I have had the privilege of being on, have taught me two things, never take anything for granted, and never think, “what if?” That question raises doubt, and life is too short to have doubted your actions.
It’s not always easy being a Mortuary Affairs (MA) person, but it’s important for us (MA personnel) to reflect on our duties and how we’re helping the grieving process of those who have lost loved ones.
How long have you been there? And when is your deployment finished?
I’ve have been deployed here in Afghanistan for five months. There is only a few weeks left in my deployment until we are slotted to return to our home base in Ft. Lee, Virginia. Our MOS (Military Occupation Specialty) is quite unique in the fact that our deployments are only six months long due to the mental difficulties of this job.
Describe for us an average day.
Considering that our mission here is purely reactionary, there really isn’t much we can do until an incident occurs.
A “normal day” usually consists of a large portion of down time, where there is nothing specific for us to do. (I can go in-depth as to what we do if fallen Hero’s or their personnel effects arrive at the mortuary.) One of the biggest things for mortuary affairs soldiers, is morale and welfare.
What is the most challenging aspect of being deployed?
I think the most challenging aspect of being deployed, besides being away from family, because that is almost always the most difficult part of being deployed, is how much the world changes. The changes are often not apparent from the inside, but returning to the states, they are quite apparent.
Also, getting back into a routine is often difficult, because I have been used to nothing being organized and nothing being planned out, so returning back to Garrison Duty, where everything is already set in stone, this is kind of a shock.
Please go into detail more about the days when you are working after an incident occurs.
When we receive a call that an incident in which a U.S. soldier, Marine, airman or sailor was fallen, the time until that fallen individual arrives could be hours or minutes. It all depends on how far away the incident has occurred, how many casualties, and method of transport.
When the fallen Hero arrives at the mortuary, we bring them into the mortuary and start the inventory of the effects that Hero has on them. This is done to ensure that the family or PERE (Person Eligible to Receive Effects) receives everything that person has on him/her.
This inventory is typed up on paperwork and shipped with the remains to Dover as part of the case file. The case file includes a death certificate, the military paperwork detailing what effects were with the Hero, as well as transfer of custody paperwork for the Hero. Once the inventory is complete, the Hero is placed inside of a refrigeration unit until we are notified that the Hero is scheduled for a flight to Dover. Usually within four to six hours.
Once we receive this call, the Hero is brought back into the mortuary. The case file is attached to the top of the inside of the transfer case (think of a metal coffin) and the top is sealed and locked to the bottom, which contains the Hero. The top of the transfer case is draped with an ironed American flag and bloused.
Once the convoy arrives, which will carry the Hero to the flight line, the Hero is placed in the back of a Humvee and brought onto the flight line where they will be placed on a military aircraft. Upon arrival at the flight line, a fallen Hero Ceremony occurs. In which, generally, the chain of command for the Fallen Hero pays their last respect to the fallen and the Hero departs, on his/her voyage to Dover Port Mortuary, where an official autopsy and embalming, as well as preparation for the funeral is conducted. The Hero is placed in accurate dress uniform, depending on their service, and the correct ribbons and decorations are added.
When you are handling their personal effects, what has struck you most?
The thing that affects me the most while processing a Hero’s effects is the similarities that occur. While going over the effects with the officer in charge of the effects, it is very easy to start to form a bond with the fallen. He or she might have had books, movies, CD’s or other various items that I also have or have read, listened to, or experienced. It is with these personal effects that I think, “Wow, I have a lot in common with this person, we might have been friends, if we had met.” It’s hard to avoid this, since it only makes the coping process harder in the longer run. It might bring to mind memories of that individual.
How many soldiers, civilians or other coalition members have you had the honor of taking care of their paperwork and personal effects?
I have had the honor of processing over 300 remains, to include U.S. service members and DoD and D.A. civilians. (DoD stands for Department of Defense and D.A. stands for Department of the Army.) These civilians help us in various ways. They work at CIF (Central Issuing Facility), where we get clothing and various equipment issued to us, work in motor pools repairing our vehicles and assist us in running convoys and various other missions.
Also included in our responsibilities is processing the remains of civilians, in my case, both Iraqi and Afghani. I have also processed over 200 soldiers effects and personal items.
How does Afghanistan differ from Iraq?
My deployments to Iraq and currently, Afghanistan, are essentially the same in terms of people, my job, where I worked and length of deployment. In Iraq, I worked as part of a six-member team and here I work with a six-member team. The length of deployments was the same, at six months. Oddly enough, in both deployments, I was a part of moving into a new mortuary. The mortuary in Balad, Iraq was part of a permanent mortuary there. It was set up to conduct autopsies and embalming, for the future. Currently, our responsibilities are not to conduct autopsies or embalming in theatre. Both are done at Dover Port Mortuary.
The people and the wars differ greatly. From my experience, the Iraqis were more welcoming. I made friends with an interpreter, whose family lived in Baghdad.
He had told me time and time again that our help with the civilians was greatly appreciated.
As anywhere, there was that small contingency that disagreed with what we were doing, hence the conflict. The wars differ in the fact that the Iraqis engaged us mostly in direct confrontations (small arms fire, RPG’s, etc.) The war here consists mostly of indirect fire (mortar’s, IED’s, the like).
You said the Iraqi’s welcomed you more. Have you had an opportunity to talk with the Afghani people and get a feel for what they think of American military being there?
Due to current mission tempos here, I have not had the chance to interact with the civilians here as much as I did in Iraq, but the few run-ins I have had, they seemed less responsive to you.
Does it make it harder not having the connection with the Afghani people (or easier)?
As with most fallen individuals, it is not easy, but easier to not have a connection with those who come through the mortuary. By not knowing very much about Afghani culture, it’s come to a, “Well, it’s just another set of remains.” I would like to know more about the culture here, but seeing as how our deployment here is coming to an end, it’s needless. As heartless as that is to say.
Will you see your family when your return to the states soon and do you know if you’ll be deployed again?
I will be returning to Minnesota some time in the month of December. I plan on spending time with my father in Milaca and my mother in Duluth. I do not expect to get deployed again. My ETS (End Term of Service) is September of 2010. But, as a soldier, I stand ready to deploy at any possible time.
When is your time with the Army done? Will you continue, make a career of it?
My service with the Army will be over in September of 2010. I plan on getting out of the Army and returning to Minnesota to complete my college education, mostly like the field of mortuary science.
You said adjusting to life in the states is difficult because it’s more organized than in Afghanistan. Is that because of your specific job, or is it because of your environment - war in general?
The organization is specific to the military. Almost all days are laid out the same back in Garrison. This is nice, because after a while, rituals and tendencies form. Thereby making the day go by faster because I know what’s coming next and since I’ve probably done it before, I know the outcome and therefore making a successful completion possible. I say it’s difficult because after being unorganized for so long, it takes a while for the rituals and tendencies to return. Plus, just from returning back to the states, the first couple of weeks are a little hectic (i.e. getting use to having freedoms, being able to do as I please after the work day, and getting use to different expectations from the command - First Sergeant and Commander).
You mentioned in your last e-mail that your duty has taught you to never take anything for granted and never think, “what if.” How do you think that will affect you as you move forward in life?
I believe in the future, I will be more willing to take chances, instead of thinking about them. Seeing the horrors of war and death, I believe that if a person wants to do something, they should try their hardest to make their dreams and wishes come true. If a person never jumps, how can they know if they will fly or land face first?
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