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Page 2A — Wednesday, November 11,2020, The True Citizen
Veterans
What was it like being in a war zone?
DUMARS: I remember the ashes hitting my face and then
learning they were from burning bodies. War is different. People
think it’s like a video game, but it’s not. It affects men, women,
children, kids, whole families. I remember the street signs still
being up; they had bullet holes in them, but they were still
standing and everything else was destroyed. Entire buildings had
crumbled to the ground and families that weren’t supposed to
be there were there, trying to cover entire missing walls up with
carpet to hide from us. I came from America, where everything
is thriving and great, and to hit the ground and see this. It was
just a whole new world.
BRADHAM: Our operation involved cutting off a major
supply line that was being used for weapons, ammunition
and other supplies by the Taliban, while trying to gain trust of
the locals. We were literally dropped off by helicopters in the
middle of a field and told “Good luck! See ya in a few months.”
Everything we did was on foot the entire deployment. Constant
fire fights ranging from 5 minutes to 13 hours straight. We were
constantly living on edge because we had no idea what that
day was going to entail. We had no bathrooms, no showers, no
phones, no beds. Little food and water for days at a time because
ammo was priority for the small loads delivered to our remote
location.
How did you deal with the constant threat of death?
DUMARS: I just thought about what I had to do in that
mission, and I did it. I wore my cross around my dog tags and
just had my Marines. They were always around and I felt safe.
Death happens. I had a buddy I ate with at the chow hall, and one
day he wasn’t there. I asked where he was, and they said, “He’s
gone.” You just have to forget what you use to be and become
what they want you to be.
BRADHAM: You’re trained to operate as a machine that
deals with the task at hand. Training takes over and emotions
take a backseat.
What is something you’d like for the public to know about
the armed forces?
BRADHAM: Military life is not what is depicted in movies.
It isn’t glamorous or fancy. It’s hard; it’s hot; it’s stressful; but
it’s also one of the greatest feelings in the world to be part of
something so strong and influential.
What was the first thing you wanted to do when you got
home from Iraq?
DUMARS: I wanted to see my mom and dad. Drink a cold
beer. Eat a cheeseburger.
Would you do it all over again?
BRADHAM: If the world ever came to a point where our
freedom or liberties were in jeopardy or even the lives of the
ones I love, I would do it all over again. To me, there is no greater
calling than serving my country.
Continued from front
DuMars and his wife, Anita, and their sons, Jordy, 3, and
Phoenix, 1
What advice would you offer a young person now who might
be considering joining the military?
DUMARS: Read your history. There’s a reason we are the
Marines. We stand for something, and we do the good stuff.
BRADHAM: Do your research. Train and condition your body,
but more importantly, train your mind. Ninety-nine percent of
making it in the military is willpower and drive. If you can train
yourself to push past your limits, both physically and mentally,
then you will have a very successful experience in the military.
You will only get out of it what you put into it, and it can give
you great things that help lessen the blow of other things you
may experience.
You say your experience changed you. In what ways?
DUMARS: I’ m just a normal guy. I take my kids to daycare. I
haven’t let things that have happened define me; I define myself,
but I remember things. Do you remember blowing out candles
on a birthday cake? You don’t think about it unless someone asks
you, but you remember those fun times. Now imagine that in
reverse. You just relive certain things that won’t go away. People
want you to come home and be normal, but when your brain sees
something traumatic, it doesn’t let it go. It’s always there. It’s just
the way I have to live. America is still great. People die. People
live on. I’m a different man because of it. I would tell people, it
isn’t what happens physically that breaks a man.
Bradham, 33, is now a mechanic for Southern Company. He
and his wife, Lindsay, have two daughters.
DuMars, also 33, and his wife, Anita, are parents to two boys,
Jordy and Phoenix. He is a fiber optics mechanic for the City of
Augusta.
Bradham and his wife, Lindsay
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