Holiday means more for veteran of Iraq war

When his children or grandchildren someday ask what he did in the war, Coast Guard reservist Erik Youngquist will have stories to tell.

The Arlington man is one of a brand new class of veterans, those who have served in the war in Iraq.

"The Coast Guard has fought in most every war, but people don’t realize that. It was a neat opportunity to serve," said Youngquist, 29, a Burlington police officer in civilian life. "I feel a lot of guys coming back have a real sense of connection to those who have served in other wars."

Youngquist spent more than six months in Kuwait and off the coast of Iraq. A port security specialist second class, he was part of Port Security Unit 313 based at the Naval Reserve Center in Tacoma. Called to active duty Feb. 8, he returned to his wife, Michelle, and their two children Aug. 27.

"Veterans Day was always important to us, but it means a little more now," Michelle Youngquist said.

This nation has just seen the deadliest week in Iraq for Americans since the fall of Baghdad in April. While we honor World War II veterans this week, and those who served in Korea, Vietnam and the Gulf War, it’s not too soon to make room for veterans of the wars still being fought on foreign soil.

I was in downtown Everett at noon Friday and was surprised to see anti-war demonstrators still making their weekly stand at Hewitt and Colby avenues. A few supporters of Bush administration foreign policy waved signs and an American flag on the opposite corner. Opinions are no less heated now than when bombs started flying in March.

As Youngquist sees it, supporting the troops has never been more important.

"I think the media does tend to focus on the negative," he said. "The majority of people in Iraq are glad to see us.

"It’s important to report the guys getting killed, but they’re also getting a job done. It’s important to remember it’s a job worth doing."

For Youngquist’s part, that job meant 78 days on the Mina al-Bakr Iraqi oil terminal. The mission was to safeguard the terminal off the coast of Iraq, which had been used in the U.N. Security Council’s oil-for-food program in which profits from exported oil were allocated for humanitarian needs in Iraq.

With war looming, Youngquist said, the Iraqi leadership replaced the oil crew with men who were supposed to blow up the terminal. "Instead, they realized they would have nowhere to go, so they surrendered to Navy SEALs," he said.

"We were there baby-sitting 42 Iraqi POWs for four days before they were transferred to a camp," Youngquist said. With the Iraqis gone, his unit stayed on to secure the oil terminal during the war.

"It was like ‘Waterworld.’ It’s a series of catwalks connecting pumping platforms. We lived in a generator shed," he said.

They left the platform in June when the facility was turned over to Iraqi security. The Coast Guard unit also protected a naval base in Kuwait. "We had 25-foot Boston Whalers with machine guns," Youngquist said.

He felt in harm’s way from the day the war began. "When they started shooting missiles at us, that got the blood pumping," he said.

Then there was the heat. "It was 130 degrees on the Fourth of July. The hottest it got was 142," he said. Before they rigged one up, there was no shower on the oil facility. They made do with baby wipes and showers every week and a half on a liberty ship.

On the home front, "everything was my job," Michelle Youngquist said.

"I really appreciate all the stuff Erik does around the house. I had to do the garbage, change the light bulbs and take care of the pets. He cleans the turtle tank," she said. Yard help came from "an awesome network of family" and friends from Atonement Free Lutheran Church in Arlington.

Michelle, 8-year-old David and 6-year-old Leah were at McCord Air Force Base near Tacoma with hugs and kisses when Erik arrived in August. There had been a warm welcome from strangers when he landed at Bangor, Maine, "our first stop on American soil," Youngquist said.

"There were 200 to 300 people lined up from the VFW in Bangor. They had cell phones for us to call home. It was a nice show of support," Younquist said.

Back at work since mid-October, he said "it’s weird how normal it seemed. It’s a completely different world."

Youngquist remains in the reserves but has transferred to a vessel boarding and search team in Seattle. His new duties, which are apt to keep him close to home, involve security for freighters in Puget Sound.

Active duty earlier this year doesn’t get him off the hook now.

"I’ve got drill this weekend," Youngquist said.

Columnist Julie Muhlstein: 425-339-3460 or muhlsteinjulie@heraldnet.com.