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 Mitchell Farris (T-G Photo by Brian Mosely) [Click to enlarge] |
Now Marine Sgt. Mitchell Farris has returned home to Shelbyville and is getting reacquainted with friends and family while looking toward the next phase of his life.
But the young man also expressed frustration with the popular perception of why our soldiers are in Iraq and the lack of public support for the mission.
Farris graduated from Central High School in 1998 but didn't choose to go into the service right after leaving school. He worked for Bedford County Utility District before enlisting in the Marines in December of 2001.
With a five-year contract with the Marines, Farris spent a lot of his time training for his job of servicing helicopters. Following recruit training at Parris Island, he returned home for a few weeks before undergoing Marine Combat Training, which is for soldiers who are not in the infantry.
After a brief stint in Pensacola, he returned to Marine Corps Air Station New River in North Carolina for more training before being sent to Okinawa since November of 2002, where some 20,000 Marines are stationed. Farris spent most of his time servicing the Boeing CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter.
With two squadrons of CH-46s on Okinawa, Farris was always staying busy, either fixing the aircraft, performing general preventive maintenance or going to or returning from a remote location.
But while some people think of service members as those who take lives, Farris spent much of his time in the service helping to save them. He participated in several rescue operations in the Philippines.
Those islands had been hit with a major typhoon and Farris had helped out with rescuing civilians trapped by mudslides. He had just been back to base for two days in December of 2004 when the Indian Ocean tsunami struck, which killed well over 250,000 people.
The next few weeks were spend preparing helicopters to be moved to the disaster area via C-5 transports. Farris was in Singapore for a time assembling the crafts for transport and getting medical help to the needed areas. Those relief efforts lasted over three months. He returned to the Philippines in March of 2006 after another mudslide covered a school.
Farris was due to leave the Corps in December of 2006, but he was asked to go to Iraq "and I went," he said, adding that 75 percent of his unit was also due to leave the service "and did not have to go, but every single person in my unit extended their tour or signed another contract because it was something we all believed in."
"As an American, you want those people [the Iraqis] to taste a little bit of what you have," Farris said. "We take it for granted everyday and I think people don't hear enough of that."
Upon his arrival in Iraq in January, Farris spent three weeks at Al Asad Airfield, the second largest airbase in the country, before moving to Al Taqaddum Airbase, also known as "TQ." The base is considered a major hub for men and supplies moving into Anbar province in Iraq.
Farris spent most of his time at TQ unless he had to leave to service aircraft in a remote location, which he said only happened once. Farris saw no combat while in country, but did experience a little of the conflict.
During the first few months in Iraq, the airbase would see a couple of mortar attacks each week, but Farris said, "they weren't very good." But then came the "surge," the addition of thousands more troops, which calmed things down considerably, Farris said.
"The surge has made a big difference," he said.
The one time Farris left the safety of TQ was to work on a downed aircraft, he stated he was worried more about the helicopter than his own safety. Other troops set up a perimeter around them while the repair work was done.
Farris spent time in Iraq from January of last year until the end of August, when he returned to his home base at Okinawa. He finally arrived back in the states on Dec. 29 and was back home shortly thereafter. Today is his first day as a civilian.
But while Farris returned from Iraq unscathed, others have not been as lucky. Farris wears a small metal bracelet to remind him of his friend, Cpl. Thomas Saba, who died along with six others on Feb. 7, 2007, when they were shot down while familiarizing themselves with the area.
Now that he has returned from overseas, Farris expressed some frustration with how many see the war in Iraq, saying that folks only know what they've seen on TV and don't get the perspective of someone who has actually been there.
People have already asked him since his return "Should we be over there?" and refer to the reversal of the original claim that Iraq was stockpiling weapons of mass destruction.
"Intelligence is more of a guesswork. You're not going to have all the answers, and now, years down the road, people are upset about the intelligence we had, saying we were lied to. But me and most of my friends, we don't feel that way."
Farris said that you have to make the best decision you can with the information you have, and he and his fellow Marines "don't feel we were lied to."
"Things like that, it frustrates me when I talk to people," the Marine said. "They've been fed this, and they don't know."
Mitchell said he believes that America should be in Iraq to help the Iraqis. While he said he met only a few from that country, "for who we are as a country and what we stand for as America, we've always helped other people and to think that it's wrong for us to be there, all I have to say is step back and see what we were 200 years ago and put yourself in their shoes."
"Would you not want some help? To not help them now is just totally wrong. It's our responsibility as a country."
Farris said that the death toll from Iraq over the past few years has been high, but also pointed out that the same number of men were lost in just 30 days during the battle of Iwo Jima in World War II.
"We lose that many service members to accidents ... off duty stuff ... I asked a captain about it and he said he would rather be over there fighting for those people he doesn't even know than getting hit by a bus crossing the street back home."
Americans fail to realize these feelings from their service members, Farris said, because nobody tells them.
"I know what it's like to lose friends over there and I'd go back if they asked me again. I have friends with wives and kids going back because it's what they believe in."
He added that a lot of people may not support the war, but that's no reason not to support the troops. People may be unaware of all the relief work done by the military, such as the missions he participated in. Farris also asked not to forget those who have returned after the conflict is over.
Mitchell said he intends to take some time off and hopes to get a job at Arnold Engineering Development Center outside of Tullahoma. He has already spent time with friends and family and admitted that the return to civilian life has been a major adjustment.
"In the military, there's always something to do -- and coming back here, things have come to a standstill. I'm pretty bored."
Farris said from his perspective, everything in Shelbyville has moved out to North Main Street. "Driving around, I can't find stuff anymore," he said. "So I have to call someone to find where it's at."
As for advice to those who are thinking of joining the armed services, Farris said that the experience is good, but a person needs to have the proper mindset and realize that "You're not at home with momma and daddy anymore."
"There's going to be things that you just have to accept, dust it off and take it as a grain of salt and just go on because there are going to be times where it will be hard, but if you let go of all that stuff of who you were before you joined, and you take in what they're trying to give you, you'll get something out of it."
BTW, Mitchell thanks for your service... I just hope and pray that history proves it wasn't a complete disaster :(
Lastly, and I am done... ah64dive, what good does it do to elect a president who wants unlimited untested powers [much like a dictator] and then take out another one? Our president/dictator is so against dictators and saving the people from opression, yet in his own back yard there is a mirror image of everything he claims to be against.
Gandhi- "What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans, and the homeless, whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or the holy name of liberty and democracy?"
Your ability to admit the truth is lacking...
Stop covering up lies, or you become a wolf in sheeps clothing just like the administration.
A complex relationship should never start with a lie, my friend. So leave it at that, because you still haven't provided a SINGLE right we have lost because of Iraq [other than the rights our government have taken..] So leave it at that, because your pro war fight is unappealing throughout the entire nation. People are tired of ridiculous status quo, and rhetoric without reason.
darrick_04, your ability to understand complex relationships is lacking, I will leave it at that.
And another thing, I will sleep better at night if we left Iraq, precipituously... Then, finally I would rest easy we are in the wrong place, at the wrong time, for the wrong reasons.. You can justify lies all you want to, meanwhile I will be debunking them over and over... I like your quote you used, because it says exactly what I said about Congress, the President, and all those with HUGE MONEY interest in Iraq...
USING YOUR QUOTE: [only this time, replace people, with "THE POWERS THAT BE"]
"George Orwell's quote; "People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf." Your rights will be protected, whether you understand it or not.
darrick_04, you don't have to be very smart to figure out what rights the victims of September 11th lost. It amazes me how quickly our society forgets. As I said before, I was there for the invasion and stabilization, I saw firsthand the terrorist activities going on in Iraq. I understand fear, but just remember George Orwell's quote; "People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf." Your rights will be protected, whether you understand it or not.
-- Posted by ah64dive on Sun, Jan 20, 2008, at 8:52 AM
HOW QUICKLY YOU FORGET IRAQ DIDN'T ATTACK US!!!!! YOU WILL NEVER GET THE PICTURE BECAUSE YOUR SCOPE OF REASON IS SO DILLUTED! THE ONLY RIGHTS IRAQ HAS TAKEN FROM AMERICA, IS THE RIGHT OF THE PEOPLE TO TELL THE GOVERNMENT HOW TO DO THEIR JOB.. WE ELECT CONGRESS, AND THE PRESIDENT, THEY ARE OUR EMPLOYEES, WE ARE NOT THEIRS.
Oh and ah64dive, we have lost many fundamental and inaliable rights since we invaded Iraq... It's funny that our government instills fear into its people by telling them foreign invaders are lurking after us, to steal our rights...
Yet, the only people stealing our rights are big $$$ interest groups and hmmm Congress...
The biggest threat to America is a president who can't even pronounce nuclear, accuses third world countries of having nuclear weapons, and ignores real threats... How fortunate for Iraq that they receive more benefits from our tax dollars than many average, middle class American citizens ever see.
-- Posted by darrick_04 on Sun, Jan 20, 2008, at 12:37 AM
darrick_04, you don't have to be very smart to figure out what rights the victims of September 11th lost. It amazes me how quickly our society forgets. As I said before, I was there for the invasion and stabilization, I saw firsthand the terrorist activities going on in Iraq. I understand fear, but just remember George Orwell's quote; "People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf." Your rights will be protected, whether you understand it or not.
Oh and ah64dive, we have lost many fundamental and inaliable rights since we invaded Iraq... It's funny that our government instills fear into its people by telling them foreign invaders are lurking after us, to steal our rights...
Yet, the only people stealing our rights are big $$$ interest groups and hmmm Congress...
The biggest threat to America is a president who can't even pronounce nuclear, accuses third world countries of having nuclear weapons, and ignores real threats... How fortunate for Iraq that they receive more benefits from our tax dollars than many average, middle class American citizens ever see.
The best way to end all wars and stop more from beginning would be to WITHDRAW THE TROOPS and SEND IN CONGRESS, THE BUREAuCRATS, THE CORPORATIONS, and all those "pro war" citizens who actively engage in rhetoric but never create action.
What rights would we have lost by not invading Iraq? It's amazing to me how naive some people can be.
-- Posted by Richard on Thu, Jan 17, 2008, at 2:08 PM
You are right about that!
the President and the soldiers continue to protect that right of theirs to voice their disagreement?
-- Posted by ah64dive on Thu, Jan 17, 2008, at 8:31 AM
What rights would we have lost by not invading Iraq? It's amazing to me how naive some people can be.
Isn't it a great country, that even though some do not agree with the President or the wars, the President and the soldiers continue to protect that right of theirs to voice their disagreement? A debt most will never really understand, unless they have traveled the world. It makes you proud to be an American.
Rhebea96 . . . just because someone has a different opinion than you does not mean they are a fool. Statements like that only go to show who the real "fool" is. Nathan was not attacking the actual solders . . . he was just expressing his dissatisfaction in the war itself and the motives behind it. Maybe you should spend less time calling people names and more time reading the actual comments.
Also, looking at the president's approval ratings I would guess that most people wouldn't have voted for Bush if they had the choice again.
I kind of have to agree with Nathan . . . it saddens me that our government is so willing to write blank checks for the war in Iraq but yet always exclaim that they don't have the funds for in our own country. We have so many problems here at home and nothing is done about it but yet Bush is willing to spend billions (and eventually trillions) of our tax money in another country just to protect oil interests. It really sickens me that we would rather invest in the future of another nation that will never fully appreciate it while ours beginning to decay (our economy is going downhill very fast and yet we are sending money to another country as fast as we can print it?).
Plus, if we were worried about Iraq becoming a haven for terrorist then we would also be invading places like Iran and North Korea because they are bigger threats to national security. But no, we are content to stay in Iraq and Afghanistan because we really aren't doing it for security . . . we are there to protect oil interests and to line certain people's pockets.
Also, anyone that says that if you don't support the war then you are against the troop is very naive and down right ignorant. That kind of statement has no merit and just goes to show the mentality that we have to deal with in today's times.
To Sgt. Mitchell Farris: Thank you for your dedication to our country and for the sacrifices you made in fighting the fight that many of us believe in and support. You should be commended by each of us for following the orders of our Commander in Chief who we the people elected to office.
To ah64dive and fellow supporters: Never argue with a fool. People might not know the difference.
Anyone can easily defend our current role in Iraq, but their minds fail them when they remember why we went. Nathan is exactly right.
President Bush was not right, if so he wouldn't have had to FIRE all the people who actually knew how to do their job... The intelligence we used to invade Iraq was just as bogus as the intelligence used to catch Osama bin Laden... If everyone believes so highly in U.S. intelligence and proper retaliation then why can't you admit that we are in the WRONG country, and we took out the WRONG leader...
Saddam was no threat to U.S. security, which is now the new reason as to why we were there...
In the end it will not be worth it, because we are arming the very people we are attacking... It makes no sense! Kinda like in 1983 when we sold Saddam the WMDs to defend itself against Iran...
Nathan trust me, the President was right and it is worth it.
-- Posted by ah64dive on Wed, Jan 16, 2008, at 11:47 AM
I'll leave it at that.
And if you didn't notice $1,000,000,000,000 dollars divided evenly amongst 300,000,000 Americans is $3333.33 owed by every man, woman, and child. Also let me not forget the brave men and women that lost far more.
Nathan trust me, the President was right and it is worth it.
I can not speak to what you have seen and done in Iraq ah64dive. I am not even talking about anything that has happened since we invaded Iraq. I am talking about the bogus information and false promise sold to the American people in the months leading up to the invasion. Helping Iraq remove a dictator and establish a democracy is a wonderful thing. I don't deny that good is being achieved daily and that the average Iraqi is better off. But, is it really something that the American taxpayer should labor to pay for? Are we truly better off because we invaded Iraq and deposed Saddam? Was it worth more than $1,000,000,000,000?
Nathan, my opinion was based on the fact that I was there for the invasion and the stabilization. I saw first hand why we were there and I know the President made the right decision. I do not base my opinion on one side of the story, as I was implying about the people you referenced. I listen to both sides before I make a descision. I also, in this case, had the good fortune to be there and see for myself. This was a problem that was only going to get worse, President Bush just had the conviction to deal with it.
Watching a person in a Congressional hearing, UN meeting, or a White House press meeting live on TV is no different than sitting there in person. And last time I checked ah64dive all four of the people that I referred to in my previous statement were different people. You say the problem is that people base their opinions on things that they see live on TV. I think the problem is that people make statements and arguments that don't hold up under scrutiny.
I suspect what Nathan has to say is based on select opinions. For every dissenting opinion there was a supporting opinion. I see his point, but I am also aware that the world is a bit more complex than his supposition. That's the problem, too many people tend to base there opinions based on what they "watched live on TV". Everyone should consider multiple sources of information before forming an opinion.
Thanks Mitchell Ferris for your duty in the USMC and dedication to the troops. I agree that alot of the time people don't realize what good is being done over there. My husband served in the USMC and is still doing work over there. My oldest son was in the USMC. Now my youngest son has joined and will leave in June for Parris Island.
I do agree that every government lies to the public about certain issues to adjust to their agendas. But there are lies told, blood shed and lots of money spent on every war all through history according to the times. I don't think that will ever change.
But the people need to support the men and women who are there risking their lives to help. Most people think if you support them you are supporting the war, which is false. Those people need to know that we appreciate all they do and thank them when they return.
Alot of folks sit here in their comfortable ways of life and don't give a second thought to anyone else. If they had to go and see what others have to do just to survive each day, they might would see things differently. The media is only going to show you what they want you to see.
We watched Colin Powell address the UN and make our nation's case for war against Iraq using intelligence from a singular source called Curveball that was later found to be a total fraud. We watched General Shinseki advise a Congressional panel that a force of 300,000 plus troops would be required to maintain peace and order in Iraq after the initial invasion and was later relieved of his position and replaced with someone that would go along with the President's plan. We watched as the White House advised us all that the war would cost $50 billion. We watched as White House economic adviser Lawrence Lindsey was fired for suggesting that the war would cost $100 - $200 billion dollars. Don't tell me that hind sight is 20/20. Don't tell me that the media somehow spun this into something it wasn't. I watched it live on TV straight from the source. Conspiracy or no conspiracy, the powers that be fluffed up the information and rushed into war without fully considering the economic costs. What good is a free Iraq to the United States if we bankrupt ourselves in the process?
Nathan thinks highly of President Bush and Congress, as it would be extremely difficult to imagine and execute such a large conspiracy and not get caught. If the President lied, why has he not been impeached? I think people give our government more credit than they should, in respect to conspiracies. The entire free world believed the intelligence we had, and in most cases had the same intelligence. Not to say the entire world agreed with us, but the entire world was not being targeted by Terrorist. Yes, Iraq was a terrorist nation; I was there and saw it first hand. As for the money being spent, it is like a savings account, you will see the fruit of it down the road. Miscalculations have been a part of every war, hindsight is 20/20. One thing the military teaches is to have a good plan, before action is taken, but this is always suffixed by the fact that the enemy has a say in how your plan goes. So the lesson is to be flexible, but never throw the baby out with the bath water. Most of America believed in this war when it started, now public opinion has changed due to political maneuvering. If you believe the President lied about the cause for going to war, pressure your representatives in Congress to impeach him. The evidence is just not there. Try to imagine a conspiracy of this magnitude, which included several countries, ever being kept a secret. I believe the opponents of President Bush only give him credit for such genius when it suit there goal. Just because you to not agree with someone, does not give you the right to call them a liar. You must prove it.
I feel that removing Saddam and establishing a democracy in Iraq was and still is an honorable thing for our country to do for another country. However, the lies that were used to get us into the war, the firing of General Shinseki after he recommended that we use a larger invasion force than the president said was required, and the no-bid contracts granted to those close to the administration and Congress make me wonder what the true motives were for invading Iraq. Before the invasion, we were told that the cost of the war would be a fraction of what the actual cost has been. Wouldn't a trillion dollars have been better spent making our own nation better? Now that we are there it is a little late to just pull out and come home, but the administration that sold this war to the American people using bogus claims and improper planning must be held accountable in some way. No disrepect to Sergeant Farris as I too was a Marine Corps Sergeant not in the infantry, but I think his opinion of the war may have been slightly different had he been asked to patrol the streets of Iraq daily. Regardless of my position of the war for Iraq, I have always supported the troops that sacrifice so much for our great nation. America is greater because of you Sgt. Farris. Semper Fi!
Great comments Mitchell, I was there also, and agree with your perspective. The mainstream media dictates public perception.