Four Marines Back to City Jobs After Bonding in Iraq

HOME FROM THE WAR: Correction Officer Norman McQuade (left) and Firefighters Jason Braadt and Timmy Ledwith served in the same U.S. Marine platoon in Rutbah, Iraq for seven months, giving them a chance to observe the transition during which Iraqis took greater responsibility for their country's security.

Brotherhood in the uniformed ranks of city service often extends from camaraderie in a firehouse to any group carrying the casket of a fallen comrade down the steps of a church after a funeral. Two Firefighters, three cops and a Correction Officer found that same brotherhood and then some half-way across the world when they were stationed together near the Syrian border in Iraq as snipers for the Marine Corps.

Eyes on Smugglers At Border

Firefighters Timmy Ledwith and Jason Braadt were stationed along with Correction Officer Norman Mc- Quade and three NYPD cops, including Police Officer Brian Knudsen, in a Marine Corps platoon in Rutbah, Iraq for seven months. They kept their eyes on smugglers coming through the Syrian border, but connected with each other on other levels as well.

'CHANGED FOR THE BETTER': Police Officer Brian Knudsen said that by the time he returned from Iraq, living conditions there had 'changed for the better.' He said he was 'on the fence' about whether he would volunteer for a new Marine tour in Afghanistan if the war there escalates.

"We loved it because being in the Marine Corps we're like brothers, but being Firefighters is doubly good," Mr. Ledwith said.

Mr. Knudsen said talk of home with his fellow city workers sometimes shifted to how city politics would affect their colleagues back in the city. "We all talked about the raise we got and all that," the city cop said.

All four had done multiple tours of duty, but this was the first time any of them were together with so many other uniformed city employees. The Marines, who returned home in early April, spoke of a more-subdued tour this time where they had a chance to witness first-hand the transfer of policing duties to the Iraqis as the United States scales back its occupation of the country.

A 'Change for the Better'

"You definitely see that Iraq has changed for the better," said Mr. Knudsen, who was previously stationed there during the invasion and the period of insurgency. "It's good because then we get to leave."

He said he realized the transition to self-policing might be possible while providing security for a City Council meeting in Rutbah. He noticed that the Marines only provided the security inside the building while the Iraqis maintained the perimeter. "I thought, 'Oh wow, they've really come a long way,' " he recalled in a phone interview last week.

Mr. Ledwith said the transition in the country was bittersweet for him to see after spending so much time there. "The whole atmosphere of the country and the region is moving towards less of taking care of the insurgency to more of teaching the Iraqis to take care of themselves," he said.

The Marines, who are enjoying a bit of rest before returning to their city jobs, recognize that things will be a little different when they do. "It's different, because every time you go away, you change," said Mr. Knudsen, who will have a new partner when he returns to the job. "It will take some getting used to."

Several will miss the action of the Marines after returning to a city where crime is low and fires are relatively few. "It's a different type of firefight, but it is a firefight nonetheless," Mr. Ledwith said, adding that the transition will take some time because snipers are required to act more on instincts while firefighters must think before they act.

Won't Rule Out Re-Upping

Mr. Braadt said that serving as a Marine in Iraq made the rest of his life easier to handle in its simplicity. "The good and the bad help shape you on an everyday basis," he said.

These Marines, who volunteered for their third tour, did not rule out going back for a fourth if the war escalates in Afghanistan, noting their ranks are already stretched thin. "It's up in the air," said Mr. Knudsen. "I'm not entirely sure. I'm on the fence."

Regardless of further commitment, Mr. Ledwith said that the rousing welcome home they received made clear that what they did abroad was not taken lightly or forgotten. "The overwhelming support we got from all the firehouses was incredible," he said. "You know how things fade out. The support makes a hard job easier."

Mr. Ledwith said their homecoming reception at their Marine outpost on Long Island was the biggest he had seen in three tours. "That's one thing that has not diminished over time," he said. "People went way over the top."