Local veterans look back on service in Middle East

Kayne Pyatt, Herald Reporter
Posted 11/9/21

Honoring those who served

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Local veterans look back on service in Middle East

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EVANSTON — Two local residents, Amy Clark and Aaron Hawks, served with the U.S. military in Iraq at different times but both seem to have had similar experiences. Clark and Hawks both told the Herald that their time in Iraq was life-changing and made them appreciate living in the U.S. even more.

Clark was born and raised in Ogden, Utah, and graduated from Bonneville High School. At the age of 19, she joined the Army Reserves and was deployed to Iraq in 2005.

“I have had lots of family members who served in the military, so I was happy to join and would do it again,” Clark said. “If I wasn’t fighting for what we have in America, someone else will. It made me appreciate everything I have here.”

During her tour in Iraq, Clark worked on the maintenance unit with nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) weapons. Her unit went on convoys mostly at night, she said. She also served as a guard at the pedestrian gate and, at times, was attached to the postal unit to sort and deliver mail.

“We were constantly under bombardment as our base included an airport and a combat action hospital,” Clark said. “You get to where you just shut the noise of the shelling out and ignore it.”

When she finished her tour of duty in 2006 and returned to the U.S., Clark moved to Evanston with her now ex-husband, whom she had met before deployment — he was serving in the same unit.

“After we left Mosul (Iraq), ISIS took over and that made me feel like we lost lives for nothing,” Clark said. “The media doesn’t show everything, and I wonder what happened to the good people over there. When I was a guard at the gate, little kids would come up and talk to me, and I worry about them.”

Clark attended two semesters at Western Wyoming College outreach campus at BOCES after moving to Evanston. She works at the Evanston Port of Entry and said she loves her job and her co-workers. Clark said she decorates the port of entry for holidays and went all out for Veterans Day. She said lots of semi-truck drivers are veterans and she wants them to feel supported.  Clark said she intends to stay in Evanston, adding that she has three children and is in a happy relationship.

“Being in Iraq was a definite culture shock and life changing,” Clark said. “When I worked with interpreters, I wasn’t allowed to talk to the Kurdish and Iraq soldiers because I was a woman. It definitely made me appreciate what women have here in America. It was definitely an experience I cherish and I still keep in touch with some of the other soldiers I served with.”

Hawks had a similar reaction to his tour in Iraq. He was raised in Evanston and graduated from Evanston High School. He joined the National Guard in 2005 while attending Western Wyoming College in Rock Springs. He attended basic training during the summer months and was trained in field artillery and rocket systems. 

In 2009, when some of his friends were “joining up” to fight in Iraq, Hawks said, “I volunteered for deployment to Kuwait and Iraq, because I wanted something to show for my time in the Guard besides one weekend a month, and I felt it was my duty to do something more. I was young and didn’t know what I wanted to do.”

Hawks admits he didn’t realize how hard it was going to be. Being away from home, away from his parents and his brothers was tough, Hawks said. Communication with them was tough because he had to go to a USO to use a computer.

There wasn’t a lot of interaction with the locals, who were mostly Bedouins. The squad was asked to respect the local people’s customs and traditions, including what food the soldiers ate in front of them during religious holidays.

“It was a completely different world over there,” Hawks said. “It was very hot — 130 degrees on the tarmac when we landed in June, early in the morning. The climate and the culture were hard to take but I served with a great group of guys. I was a gunner for security on night convoys. The Air Force really looked out for us and mostly we worried about IEDs (improvised explosive devices).”

Hawks returned home to the U.S. in 2010 and spent the summer with his parents. He then attended the University of Wyoming and earned a B.S. in Sociology in 2013. He left the National Guard that same year, married, and moved back to Evanston. After a variety of different jobs, he found employment with Western Wyoming Beverage, where he has worked for two years as an account manager. Hawks said he really enjoys his job and is able to be home at night with his family. He and his wife have two young daughters.

“The military was great for what it was,” Hawks said. “It helped me to grow up. It was life changing — I was only 19 years of age when I went in and I gained a whole new perspective. The experience instilled in me the importance of hard work, discipline, determination and integrity. I had great leaders who showed me what it means to be a good human being.”

Hawks said when he first came home, he experienced a period of readjustment; he would become angry at times when others didn’t appreciate what they have in the U.S. He said he has more gratitude now for all of the freedoms we have in America and the ease with which we can live our way of life and experience everyday activities that people in other parts of the world are denied.