CR graduate Nicholas Yeager soldiers on in Iraq

Like so many other American soldiers, Spec. Nicholas Yeager of Magnolia will not be home this Christmas.

A 2005 graduate of Caesar Rodney High School, Yeager, 22, will be patrolling roadways in the Diyala province of Iraq, manning a cannon atop a specially-constructed armored vehicle. His job, protecting U.S. State Department and Iraqi civilian officials, is a far cry from the days he worked at the Popeye’s franchise near the north gate at Dover Air Force Base.

“I was nervous the first couple of times,” Yeager said of his work as a turret gunner aboard what the Army calls a mine resistant ambush protected vehicle, “but after doing it a couple of months, it’s not bad. I’d rather do that than be a driver.”

Perhaps that’s because drivers, especially those at the front of a convoy, must be on the lookout for things that aren’t supposed to be there, things like roadside bombs.

From Yeager’s position, he has a much better view of things.

“I’m usually last, so I’m watching for trucks trying to drive up on us fast,” he said.

"You can ID the people who have a hostile intent.”

Yeager is the third member of his family to serve in the Middle East, following his father, Air Force retiree Russell Yeager, who was deployed there after Sept. 11, 2001, and brother, Staff Sgt. Ryan Yeager, now an Air Force recruiter.

“Nicholas has a profound respect for his country, and sees it as his duty to serve in the military,” Mr. Yeager said.

Part of that respect no doubt comes from Yeager’s childhood, spent on different Air Force bases throughout the United States and overseas. Some of that time was on the Japanese island of Okinawa, home to a combined force of Air Force, Army, Navy and Marine personnel.

It was from the experiences of those years Mr. Yeager said his son felt the best way to serve his country was to join the Army. That decision cut short a college career and was one that surprised the family, including Yeager’s younger brother, Jamison Yeager, 17, who is at home.

“Everyone said I should join the Air Force, but I wanted to do so something different,” Yeager said.

“I had gone to Michigan State University to study political science and, I guess, to get out of Delaware,” he said. “I regret that now because I miss Delaware.

“But I’d always liked politics and my history teachers in high school were enthusiastic about it, so I picked up on that.”

Dry, dusty duty

Following his enlistment in April 2008 and advanced training as an artilleryman, Yeager was sent to Fort Lewis, Wash., and then deployed to Iraq in August.

Diyala Province is on the eastern side of the country, and shares a border with Iran. It is the home of Forward Operating Base Warhorse, the headquarters for the 3rd Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, of which Yeager’s field artillery regiment is a part. Situated northeast of Baghdad, the 3rd is responsible for the entire Diyala area. There are approximately 3,000 military and civilians working out of FOB Warhorse.

An agrarian area once known as the breadbasket of Iraq, the province was devastated during Saddam Hussein’s protracted war against Iran and sustained considerable damage during the fight to topple the dictator. Much of the provincial infrastructure still is in dire need of repair, leaving a great deal of work for the State Department officials Yeager is charged with protecting.

There’s really no such thing as a typical day at FOB Warhorse, Yeager said. He lives in a “containerized housing unit,” or CHU, which he describes as a large storage container with windows.

“It’s better than living in a tent,” he said. “I don’t mind.”

While not wanting to describe his work in detail, Yeager said his day depends on where, when and for how long State Department officials need to be “outside the fence” with their protective convoys. Because he’s up on top of his MRAP, Yeager only occasionally gets to interact with ordinary Iraqis.

“They’re nice, very nice people,” he noted. “The kids like to come up and wave at us and we throw them cold water and candy. When we talk to adults, we exchange names and such as the language barrier permits.

“No one is really unfriendly to us,” Yeager said.

When not out on a mission, Yeager and his fellow soldiers work to keep their weapons and vehicles in good order against the harsh climate.

“It’s rained a lot here lately and the sand gets really muddy,” he said. “It’s tough, not fun to deal with.”

What little free time they have consists of going to the gym and finding ways to stay focused on the job. Yeager likes to read and stays in touch with his family via Facebook and the occasional telephone call. However because of the dangers inherent in his work, those calls usually dwell on things other than his daily activities.

“I know what its like because I was over there,” Mr. Yeager said, “but his mom was really concerned, like moms will be.”

“Nicholas has never complained about anything in Iraq,” he added. “He’s talked about the size of camel spiders and how the rain just makes a lot of mud, but he never complains about being over there.”

But right now, Yeager is keeping his mind on why he’s in Iraq and the job he’s doing. However, he does know that tour eventually will end.

When that occurs in August, Yeager hopes to return to Fort Lewis, where he wants to continue learning about the artillery. Once his three-year enlistment is up in 2011, he hopes to return to Delaware and possibly take up his school work again.

In the meantime, there’s still Iraq.

Asked what he misses most about being away from home, Yeager said the choices are easy: seeing snow, the opportunity to wear civilian clothing, and, most of all, his family.

With luck, he’ll get all three wishes within the next few weeks.

“I’ll get to see my family soon, in January hopefully,” he said.

“He’s got a mid-tour, but we haven’t worked out the date,” Mr. Yeager said. “When he’s here, we’ll just stay home, take it easy and visit with other family.”

Email Jeff Brown at jeff.brown@doverpost.com,