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DEL.ICIO.USWar the great equalizer in wide generation gap
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Tal Afar, Iraq — “Don’t break your hip,” yells a soldier in formation as Christopher Avery, a corporal a minute ago, runs back to his platoon after his promotion to sergeant.
Laughter roars through the rows of Company H, 121st Infantry (ABN) (LRS) soldiers. It’s another Avery joke, poking fun at the 42-year-old’s age.
“It’s OK,” Avery says. “I’m used to it.”
He is used to watching young infantrymen listen to hard-core metal and hip-hop. He is used to seeing soldiers who are almost as young as his own son slurp down sodas and play video games during their down time.
• Video:See Avery on the sniper range
It’s not unusual to find a wide range of ages in one company, especially in the Army National Guard. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have drawn heavily from the nation’s citizen soldiers, many of whom have done multiple combat tours. Guard units are typically more diverse than ones in the regular Army.
When Avery walks into teammate Spc. Marcus Hunter’s room, which he shares with two others, he is reminded of a college dorm. Hunter was only 17 when he reported for training with Company H last summer.
“They’re all on their beds with their laptops,” Avery says. “How can you sit in front of an electronic game for hours?”
Avery sounds like the disapproving parent, but here in the Army, you learn to live with differences. War is the great equalizer.
In his younger days, Avery was in the Marine Corps and served during the Gulf War. He quit the military but rejoined the National Guard in 2005, two years into the Iraq war. “I kind of think that it’s a civic and moral obligation to serve your country,” he says.
Generational gaps fall away instantly on the battlefield, where young and old face the same danger. When Company H rolls out of the gates at Forward Operating Base Sykes, Avery sees Hunter not as a teen but as a fellow soldier watching his back.
But when the mission is over, Avery returns to the quiet of his own space. He prefers to warm his throat with his specially brewed coffee and listen to Guns N’ Roses, Boston and other bands that saw their heyday before some of his Army compatriots were even born.
“They operate on a different wavelength,” Avery says of his platoon mates. “They have great hand-eye coordination from playing all those video games, but some of these kids have never read a book.”
Avery, meanwhile, has used his spare time in Iraq to write his own book. He won’t reveal the title but says it’s about leadership traits. It draws heavily from what he has seen of his commanding officers out in the field.
When Company H was called up last year, Avery was living in Newnan and working as a pilot and training manager for Atlantic Southeast Airlines. He was accustomed to a comfortable paycheck that supported expensive hobbies.
He owns 40 guns in a collection that includes an M-14 rifle built specifically for him and a Winchester Model 94 that his father gave him for Christmas when he was 14.
Avery’s salary plummeted by $8,500 a month once Company H reported for full-time Army duty.
He was forced to sell the Pitts S2B high-performance aerobatics plane he had just purchased. He stood and watched the new owner fly his plane away.
“That’s when it really hit home — the financial blistering I was in for,” Avery says. “But there’s a lot more things in life that are more important than money. One of them is how you feel about yourself.”
The younger men in 2nd platoon look to Avery for guidance, however “eccentric” they think his habits are.
Hunter dropped out of school in the eighth grade and earned a GED years later through an Army youth program at Fort Stewart. Here in northern Iraq, Avery teaches the shy, quiet kid from Ellenwood how to shoot his machine gun — and about life.
They are both gunners who spend long hours standing in the turret of a Humvee.
Hunter watches the expert sniper in action. He follows him to the firing range to master techniques.
Hunter, who just got his driver’s license while on his two-week leave from Iraq, says he has grown up. Part of that has been under Avery’s wing.
Avery disciplines himself so that he can keep up with the younger breed. When word of mobilization came down, Avery worried whether he was up for the physically demanding life of an infantryman.
His fiancée, Tammy, a fitness instructor, writes programs for him to follow at the gym on the base. He tries to get himself into bed by 9 or 10 every night. He wakes up at 4:30, when it’s still dark. He sometimes goes for a morning jog with Company H commander Capt. Kenneth Hutnick, who is the same age as Avery.
Hunter chows down on a bacon cheeseburger every day at the dining facility. Avery watches what he eats. And bears the brunt of more jokes.
“It’s not just a generational gap. It’s two generations,” a soldier teases him during dinner.
“I take a lot of crap about my age,” Avery says, “but I’ll run with anyone in this platoon and smoke ‘em.”
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| Louie Favorite/AJC |
| When Company H rolls out of the gates at Forward Operating Base Sykes, Sgt. Christopher Avery, 42, sees Spc. Marcus Hunter not as a teen but as a fellow soldier watching his back. |
Permalink | Comments (2) | Categories: Reports from Iraq
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By Janet Hardy
May 1, 2007 5:29 PM | Link to this
I have met quite a few soldiers from Co H, 2nd Platoon, and I am very proud of all of them. My son is in this unit, and I feel better after seeing these videos, and reading about the dedication of the men in this unit. It is very comforting to know he is with the best group in Iraq. My son is Sgt. Eschete.
By Tracey
May 2, 2007 9:07 AM | Link to this
My brother is in Co H 2nd and we know that they are a very special group. We wish them the best. It won`t be long now and they will finally be able to come home. We love you guys, God bless Co H, each and every one of you. Stay safe and our thoughts and prayers are with you.