It’s been three months since I returned home from Iraq, and my thoughts begin to wander as I drive from Monsey to Albany for the first weekend Army drill since my deployment. Many newspaper and magazine editors have asked me for an interview or requested that I write an article about my life in the army and my experiences in Iraq. So after giving it some thought, I decide during the drive that I will sit down and write about my life as a frum Jew in the U.S. Army.
I went to yeshiva through 12th grade and after two years of college decided to join the army. Upon finishing my training as an infantryman I was stationed in Kentucky. It was during this time that I had the great opportunity to meet some wonderful families in nearby Nashville, Tennessee. I spent every Shabbos and Yom Tov there and was treated like a real son.
All too often, however, it was a struggle to get some of my superiors to grasp the importance of Shabbos and Yom Tov. They couldn’t understand why I would rather carry out some duties on Sunday than Saturday, and why I should be granted leave for my holidays. In addition, army regulations state that one cannot wear a head covering indoors, so I was given a hard time about the kipa I wore at all times.
I spoke to the army chaplains and went through a lot of heartache before those above me were convinced that I was could keep my head covered for religious reasons. When the opportunity arose for me to become an officer, go back to school, and stay in the National Guard, I jumped at it, knowing it would be a lot easier in terms of my religious battle.
The Army National Guard is composed primarily of citizens who serve their country, state and community on a part-time basis (usually one weekend each month and two weeks during the summer.) My unit, however, was activated from part-time status for mobilization to Iraq in 2004. I was ready as ever to do my part to help my country.
Due to the nature of the work in which I was engaged, I am unable to provide details of what I did for the army in Iraq. I’ll focus instead on the religious aspects of my deployment. Being that my unit is from New York and I’ve been a member for a few years, kashrus, Shabbos, and other religious practices were no longer strange to my fellow Guardsmen. They understood, for instance, when I decided to walk to a lecture on Saturday instead of taking the bus there.
The most difficult part of the deployment and my loneliest times were on Shabbos and Yom Tov. It is hard to explain how it feels to be the only frum person among thousands and the only person wearing a kipa on an entire base. It is funny how one takes things for granted in America. I remember telling myself that I would walk for miles to a shul if only there were one, and that I would listen to the rabbi’s entire speech even if it were an hour long!
On the flip side, I wasn’t completely alone. Where I was, the Jewish soldiers got together every Friday night and for all of the holidays (sometimes we even had a minyan). I can’t describe how amazing it felt to have a Pesach seder with 40 other Jewish soldiers in one of Saddam Hussein’s palaces while he was in custody. We all knew that it would have absolutely killed Saddam to know what was happening in the place he used to call home.