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Cover Story

Meet the people who fought — and continue to fight — our wars in the Middle East.

This Week
browse	July 2nd, 2009 Soldiering On Meet the people who fought — and continue to fight — our wars in the Middle East. by Charles Cieri More than 1.5 million Americans have fought in this country's two ongoing wars. While public interest and news coverage in Iraq and Afghanistan have waxed and waned, these volunteers have continued to stream to and from the battlefield. Here are 12 such people from the region. »»
COVER STORY . Also In This Week's Cover Story Rob Pomroy 22, Fishtown Specialist, Army Currently in Iraq "Daddy has to go far away, for work, to beat up the bad guys." Byron Roth 36, Yardley Captain, Army National Guard Deployed to Iraq Summer 2005 He witnessed three MASCALs — attacks where the number of wounded exceeds the immediate medical capacity — and was himself injured, halfway through his tour, by an IED on the road. Laura Golembiewski 22, Northeast Philly Corporal, Marine Corps Deployed to Iraq Winter 2006 "With all the graduates coming out of college, with a degree that I don't have, and all the military coming back — it's like rolling the dice." Jose Quinones 24, Northeast Philly Specialist, Army National Guard Deployed to Iraq Spring 2005 Quinones' duties in the infantry varied, but his missions were consistently dangerous. Dave Marris 50, Northeast Philly Independent Military Contractor Currently in Afghanistan "Without contractors, the military could not function at the level that they do. The manpower just is not there." Raheem Rowell 22, Trenton Specialist, Army National Guard Deployed to Iraq Summer 2008 "I sit down to eat and reach for my weapon and realize it's not there." Matt Brennan 23, Jenkintown Sergeant, Marine Corps Deployed to Iraq Fall 2005 and Spring 2007 "My fiancée said it's either [the Marine Corps] or me, and she wins every time." Tim Stanton 20, King of Prussia Specialist, U.S. Army Reserve Deploys to Iraq this Monday On Sept. 11, 2001, Tim Stanton was only in fifth grade; that's the day he decided to join the military. He joined the Army Reserve Carl W. Notter 60, Elkins Park Master Sergeant (Retired) Army National Guard Deployed to Afghanistan Winter 2003 and Winter 2007 "Some people try to mimic the life that they have back at home," says Notter. To him, this is completely wrong. Roberto Brabham 27, North Philly Technical Sergeant, Air National Guard Deployed to Iraq Summer 2006, Kyrgyzstan Spring 2008 "It was either that or go to prison," he says. By "prison," he means Olney High School. Lilliam Bernal 27, Trenton Second Lieutenant, Army National Guard Deployed to Iraq Winter 2005 "I didn't talk to my mom, I didn't consult with my boyfriend. I just went and did it." Tim Johnson 50, Port Richmond Specialist, Army National Guard Deployed to Iraq Winter 2004 and Spring 2008 "When the mortar passed overhead, I said, 'Fuck 'em, if they do me they do me, I'm going outside to smoke a cigarette.' And that's exactly what I did." RJ Ernst 27, Newtown Sergeant, Marine Corps Deployed to Iraq Spring 2005, in Iraq currently "We have some TVs, we hear what’s going on. But, we’re already there, no matter what people thought."
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browse	June 25th, 2009 The 10 Best Cheesesteaks You've Never Had Let our expert expand your grease-stained horizons. by Carolyn Wyman This list, in nonpartisan alphabetical order, is for people who are ready for a graduate-level course of cheesesteak exploration and appreciation. »»

browse	June 18th, 2009 What Does It Take to Make the NBA? And does Dionte Christmas have it? by E. James Beale Next Thursday is the NBA draft, and Dionte Christmas is on the bubble. Most mock drafts have the high-scoring guard going toward the beginning of the second round. For the past month, he's been flying around the country to tryouts, exhibiting his skills and trying to improve on that. He was hoping his hometown team might take a flier on him. Now, probably, they won't. »»

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27, Newtown
Sergeant, Marine Corps
Deployed to Iraq Spring 2005, in Iraq currently

50, Port Richmond
Specialist, Army National Guard
Deployed to Iraq Winter 2004 and Spring 2008

27, Trenton
Second Lieutenant, Army National Guard
Deployed to Iraq Winter 2005

Tue., July 7, 8 p.m., $10, with Matt & Kim and Team Robespierre, First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut St., 866-468-7619, r5productions.com.

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