Local veterans involved in combat or peace time service and stationed from Baghdad to Bangor all recounted their military service on Nov. 6 during the ninth annual Boothbay Harbor Rotary Club’s dinner. The event honored local veterans at the Charles E. Sherman American Legion Hall in Boothbay.

Veteran Henry Rowe of Boothbay was one of the 60 veterans who attended the dinner. Rowe stood up and proudly announced he spent four years in Naval Security. After he left the Navy, he continued for 28 years as a reservist, and 25 more in the Central Intelligence Agency.

“Since I was in the security business I graduated into the CIA after the Navy,” Rowe said. “And for the next 25 years I lived in 43 countries.”

The veterans included those who served their country over the past seven decades. Among those were one who prepared for invading Japan, another who flew supplies into Germany during the Berlin Airlift, and a native Mainer who spent nine years in Bangor.

A new veteran joined the cast at this year’s dinner. Guest speaker Second Lt. David Whitt is the newest veteran in the Boothbay region. He served two years in Iraq.

Whitt recently moved to Boothbay Harbor. He is employed as a deputy finance director at the Finance Authority of Maine. Whitt serves in the reserves at the U.S. Army Training Center in Auburn.

Whitt began his military service as a Boston University student. In 2004, he entered the Reserve Officers’ Training Corp (ROTC) program. He eventually spent five years in Fort Campbell, Kentucky as part of the 101st Airborne Division before being deployed to Iraq. From 2005-06 he served as a leader of a scout platoon 30 miles west of Baghdad.

Whitt thanked the assembled veterans for protecting America from World War II to The War on Terror.

“You are an incredible group which has served your country for the past the 70 years,” Whitt said. “I want to thank you for your service and for protecting our freedom.”

Whitt prefaced his remarks by noting that veterans don’t usually talk about their service. But he asked them to indulge him by listening to his war experience. 

Whitt recalled that liberating Iraq was different than any previous American military operation. His division’s mission was called a counter-insurgency operation. He likened it to the game of “Whack-A-Mole.” because the objective was to clear, hold and build a new Iraq.

“It was a very different mission than to simply fight to victory,” Whitt said. “It was a change in strategy. In short, we were charged with clearing out the bad guys, holding violence to a minimum, and building a new country.”

During his two year stint, Whitt endured the hot, dry, desert climate on a daily basis. He recalled rain was a rare occurrence happening only once or twice a year.

He also witnessed the beginnings of the Islamic city slowly changing. While staying in an unfamiliar land, Whitt saw a section of Baghdad with a Chinese restaurant and a string of modern-looking hotels in one isolated section.  Whitt also had the chance to enter Saddam Hussein’s Presidential Palace.

“I had a chance to see his golden toilet seat and I can report it was cold,” Whitt said.

During his stay, he discussed the current state of affairs with his Iraqi interpreter nicknamed “Rocky.” One calm morning, the two witnessed the sunrise over the Euphrates River. The beautiful sight prompted Rocky to make an observation.

“You know Iraq is just like Paradise. Heaven will be just like Iraq,” Rocky said.

With bomb craters within eyeshot and a daily burden of 130 F, Whitt replied, “If this is heaven, then what is hell like?”

While in Iraq, Whitt spent his time almost exclusively outside the “Green Zone,” a heavily fortified section in Baghdad. The area served as the International headquarters and command center for the military operation. One night Whitt picked up a soldier returning from a three day pass waiting in the Green Zone.

About 9 p.m., Whitt  went on a four-vehicle convoy. The four Humvees drove along the highway equipped with black out lights which made the convoy invisible. At one point, rain briefly poured down. Whitt then heard a boom, saw a bright flash, and was thrown from his seat.

A bomb inspector was sent for; he discovered the Humvee had run over an improvised explosion devise.

“That was the pop when we ran over the detonator. Gasoline ignited, and that was the flash, but the explosives did not discharge,” Whitt said. “It turned out the rain shorted the fuse causing the bomb to fail.”

It seemed Whitt and his convey were in the wrong place at the right time. Whitt told his fellow Boothbay region veterans that he was there only because it rained, and for the grace of God.

Whitt said the International Force success in securing Iraq was short lived. The Jihadists were driven out of Iraq, only to see problems return via ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.). Whitt predicted the “Clash of Civilizations” will likely be a long one. He’s not sure about what the U.S.’s future role in the conflict should be.

“Luckily for me that’s not the what my speech is about tonight,” he said. “The speech is about our appreciation to all of America’s veterans and our collective thanks for the roles you played in the nation’s defense.”

Whitt closed by saying it’s the nation’s continued responsibility to honor our veterans, especially those “wounded warriors,” and to never forget those who made the ultimate sacrifice.