For Vt. Guardsman, tour looms again
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By DENNIS JENSEN Rutland Herald Staff - Published: October 30, 2009
Paul Jardine spent his first tour of combat duty fighting with the U.S. Marines in what is considered to be the fiercest battle of the war in Iraq. Now he is headed for another combat tour, this time with the Army, in the hills of Afghanistan.
The 36-year-old Fair Haven resident and paramedic will join his counterparts with the 86th Infantry Combat Brigade in Fort Polk, La., for three weeks of training.
Jardine is one of 1,500 Vermont National Guard solders headed for Fort Polk today. It is the largest deployment of the Vermont National Guard since World War II.
A graduate of Fair Haven Union High School, class of 1991, Jardine said he expects the enemy to be tougher and more determined than what he saw in Iraq.
"We dealt primarily with al-Qaida and ragtag thugs before," he said. "They'd throw a grenade and forget to pull the pin. From what I understand, the people we are up against (in Afghanistan) are much better trained, with tactics, techniques and procedures. I think this will be different — the terrain, the culture and especially the enemy."
Jardine was a Navy medic attached to a Marine infantry unit during the battle of Fallujah in 2006. He served in Iraq for seven months.
"That was at the height of the violence in Anbar Province," he said.
Choosing his words carefully, Jardine said he could not talk about where his unit might be headed. Even if he knew, he said, he would not reveal it, for security reasons.
These are difficult times for the Jardine family as his brother James, a member of the Texas Army National Guard, will be deployed to Iraq in a few weeks. The Jardines grew up in Castleton, where their mother Barbara still lives.
Asked about how he was coping with the fact that he was again headed for a war zone, Jardine said he was feeling a wide range of emotions.
"My whole life has been put on hold," he said during an interview Thursday. "I feel like I just got back on my feet from my last deployment, which ended three years and four days ago. I have some nervousness because I've been down this road before but, because of my experience, I feel confident in my training."
Jardine, a paramedic with Regional Ambulance Service since 1994, said it made sense for him to continue his work as a medic, this time with the Army.
"I'm going to be a medic with an infantry company," he said. "It's kind of what I've done with my career, giving care in the field. It only makes sense to be in the field as a medic."
After he left the Navy, Jardine joined the Vermont National Guard. He said he believes he is more suited to work with the soldiers there.
"When I was a medic with the Marines, although they are great at what they do, the culture is different. You're dealing with 18- to 20 year olds. At the age of 36, I feel it's a more appropriate place to be with the National Guard soldiers, who have wives, kids and careers at home."
Jardine said the months leading up to deployment have been hectic for him.
"It's been a constant strain on my personal life, like a monkey on my back, for six months," he said. "I've been working out my financial affairs, the legal aspects of being gone for a year and not knowing …"
The National Guard troops are expected to ship out for Afghanistan some time in December.
"We've been told to expect about a year" in Afghanistan, he said. "But I'll be home for Thanksgiving."
Jardine said he believes this deployment will be far different from the one he experienced in Iraq. But he also said he feels he is ready for whatever comes his way.
"I'd like to end this on a positive note," he said of the interview. "I'm confident in the training the Army's given me. The unit I'm going to be with is one of the best National Guard units in the country. I do truly feel that way. And I'm not saying this for the commander to pat me on the back."
dennis.jensen@rutlandherald.com