Supporting Our Service Men and Women in Iraq - A Testimonial by Marty Greenhouse

Posted/updated: November 14, 2007

Most of you don’t know who I am. Or why I’m here. My wife Linda and I are new members of Central Synagogue. This past High Holiday was the first we spent as part of the Central Synagogue community. I was a little skeptical and, I have to admit, a little amused with the irony of “atoning at The Waldorf.” But to my surprise, this past Yom Kippur service was the most inspirational I’ve ever attended. So moved was I with the service and Rabbi Rubenstein’s sermon on our “Dual Allegiance” that I forgot I was fasting, stayed to the very end, got off my apathy, and adopted a soldier. Cpl. Michael Milburn from Oregon. Now in Iraq.

For the past few weeks, we’ve emailed each other on a daily basis. We talk sports and the weather. I tell him how unseasonably warm it is in New York. He tells me the temperature in Iraq has dropped to 105…in the evening.

We talk pop culture. We talk the culture there. But most importantly, we discuss his feelings and his future.

A few weeks ago, when I was about to leave the office for the evening, my telephone rang. An unfamiliar young voice asked if this was Marty Greenhouse. I said, “yes.” “This is Cpl. Michael Milburn calling from Iraq.”

He thanked me for the package I had recently sent. For the beef jerky, the power bars, the chocolate and especially for the alarm clocks he requested to make certain the three members of his nine-member squad who had a tendency to oversleep, no longer had any excuse.

But the real reason for the call, he said, was to put a voice to the emails. To make the connection between the two of us real. And to let me know how appreciative he was for the friendship I had shown.

He took this time to ask my advice on how to best motivate his men. His questions and the commitment to the men in his squad were far more mature than the voice on the other end of the phone. I asked his age. He told me he was about to turn twenty. Twenty…old enough to die for his country, not even old enough to have a drink.

I asked if he planned to stay in the Marines. He said he may have no choice. Returning Vets are having a very difficult time finding jobs back home. Some reward for a job well done. Some welcome home.

My business partner’s son-in-law is a career officer in the Marines about to return to Iraq for his sixth tour. The 126 men he will oversee are all returnees. Men and women who approached the Marines about returning because they couldn’t find suitable jobs back home. Men who agreed to leave their families, risk their lives, and return to Iraq in order to adequately support their families. Some reward for a job well done. Some welcome home.

Mike Milburn, the soldier I adopted, is a Marine through and through, unwaveringly committed to his men and his mission. But every so often, for just a moment, I can glimpse a crack in his olive drab veneer and see his true feelings. “Not too much is new in Iraq,” he wrote, “just the same old Marines with a different date on the calendar and the calendar is not saying it’s time to go home.”

How do you thank him for staying the course? For doing the job we wouldn’t want our children to do? For having the courage I don’t have?

Mike will tell you that emails and care packages sure help. “I received your package today in the mail. I don’t believe I have ever seen a group of men so happy to receive mail in my life. I distributed a lot of the items to the squad so that I don’t suffer from tooth decay or an exploding stomach. Once again, I thank you so much for the package. If I could give you a medal for the help you have given us here in Iraq, I would. I also want you to thank your wife for the support she has given us as well. Tell her she is not forgotten. I hope you and your wife both know that you two are prime examples of why we are so willing to do what we do. The morale boost that is given to us from the support of friends and family is probably the greatest source of energy we can get out here.”

Mike’s words were a great source of energy to me too. They drove me here to stand in front of you tonight to thank all those who suggested I adopt a soldier thousands of miles away. But who adopts the returning Vets? Who helps them through the minefields they’ll find back home? Who fights for them the way they fought for us?

I have a suggestion. WE should.

The membership of Central Synagogues boasts some of the most influential business leaders in America. Some of the best thinkers in America. I suggest we tap their knowledge, know-how, and philanthropy and show that we also boast the biggest hearts in America. That we show returning Vets what a true welcome is by offering them the training, career advice, and job opportunities they so richly deserve.

This is a huge job. And not one for Central Synagogue alone. But, we are the conscience of a community and the very fertile soil from which this idea can grow.

The New York Times offered assistance with their recent One-Day Veterans Job Fair and Career Expo.

Bud Selig and Major League Baseball are making an effort with Welcome Back Veterans.org. Proof that our national pastime is also helping others.

But I suggest something different. That Central Synagogue become Veteran’s Central. First, to assist those soldiers who our congregants have adopted. And then, to reach out to other synagogues and houses of worship of all denominations to share in this job and share in the joy of helping others.

Like the valiant men and women who served our country in World War II, Korea and Vietnam, these soldiers should come home to more than a parade and welcoming arms of their families. They should come home to opportunity. After all, we are the land of it.

Now I don’t agree with the war, but I do believe in the thousands of soldiers who fight for my right to disagree. They are the threads, each and every one of them, in the fabric of America. It is up to us to keep the fabric from fraying. It is up to us to help give those who come back alive, something to live for. To find a place in our hearts and our community for Michael Milburn and his returning band of brothers. Thank you.

Posted in: Reach Out to Armed Service Men and Women and their Families