Americans are awaiting the return of their loved ones as the war goes on. Some students have family members fighting in Iraq and don't get to see them very often.
"He was supposed to be out of the army last August, but because of the war he had to stay upon his contract for the 4 year service of active duty," junior Jennifer Duong said when asked about her brother, Sergeant Michael Duong. "He had to stay there another 7 months and hopefully, he's going to come back in November."
Sgt. Duong joined the army in 2002 after graduating from Mission High School where he was the battalion commander.
"I remember I cried a lot when he left for the army," Duong said. "We all didn't want him to be in the army, but he went anyways because he thought it would've been a cool experience."
Some soldiers work in the detainee center where the army lawyer puts people on trial to determine whether they are guilty of a crime or not. The army lawyer sends the prisoners to a real jail if they are proven guilty. Soldiers like Sgt. Duong that are in the infantry are on patrol everyday (that is when they are not guarding something or someone).
"It's not the same everyday; we may patrol at different times, so that they [the enemy] don't know when to expect us," Sgt. Duong said in his email. "Some people get more breaks than others, but we can only do our jobs the best we can."
Breaks range from a few minutes to several hours. Soldiers write letters home, play cards, and rest on their breaks while others wait for an available computer to use (they have limited time on the computer). Usually, they try to get as much rest as possible (they're lucky if they get 6 hours of sleep).
The weather makes it harder for the solders to get rest.
"It's very hot in the afternoon and cold at night and when there is a sandstorm, they get blinded," Private First Class Nhan Huynh said when asked about his friends in Iraq. "They have to clean their weapons afterwards so they never get enough sleep. Some nights, they even get 3 hours."
The soldiers wake up in the morning and take deep breaths because bombs go off a lot and they never know where there is an enemy sniper.
"A lot of people here seem to like us a lot, but not everyone. We drive down streets and kids all over wave at us, jump up and down because they are so happy to see us, and give us thumbs up," Sgt. Duong said. "It's pretty cool; it happens in most places, but not everywhere. It's still very dangerous and we try to be as careful as possible."
Soldiers live in tents and eat whenever they can (they aim for three meals a day). They usually eat Meal-Ready-to-Eat's (MRE's) which contains about 3000 calories each.
"It's basically a meal that's inside a plastic pouch and there's a chemical heater that heats up the food when you pour water into it," PFC Huynh said. "And before they head out for motor patrols, every vehicle is equipped with enough water to last them 3 days."
They also serve A-rations (a typical hot food meal), but only when soldiers are in the rear (the base).
"The food here is okay. Sometimes, if we go to a smaller camp, then the food isn't too good, but at a bigger camp, it is pretty good," Sgt. Duong said. "Either way we all have to eat, even if it's an MRE."