Soldier Says 'Thanks' to Harvard

I AM A 1986 GRADUATE of Harvard and a second-year student at Harvard Business School. In addition, I received my commission as an Army officer through the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) while at Harvard and have been an officer in the U.S. Army or Army Reserve ever since.

Last fall, I was so outraged by Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait that I volunteered to serve in Operation Desert Shield. I did this despite the fact that I was beginning my second year at the Business School.

Last December, I was mobilized into the Army, leaving both Harvard and my wife, Diane behind. I was sent to Saudi Arabia before the outbreak of the war in January and I served as a lieutenant in a Combat Engineer unit throughout Operation Desert Storm. I was finally sent home to the United States in May.

Although I served most of my time in the Saudi Arabian desert just south of Iraq and Kuwait, I was in Kuwait City last March, right after the end of the war. Many others have written about the joy of the Kuwaiti people after their liberation, but I want to add some thoughts about the real meaning of one man's heart felt "thank you."

AS YOU HAVE HEARD, the sky in Kuwait City was incredibly dark with oily black smoke and my urban surroundings were pock-marked by explosions and littered with debris, including the remains of Iraqi tanks.

As I drove along a highway one day with a few of my soldiers, two Arab men pulled alongside out truck and waved for us to pull over. We pulled our truck to one side of the road behind their car. When we got out, one of the two Arabs came forward and hugged me saying, "Thank you! Thank you! Because of you, we are free!"

I quickly learned that this Kuwaiti man had spent a number of years in the United States and had earned a masters degree at MIT before returning to Kuwait. He and his family had spent the seven-month Iraqi occupation hiding in their apartment, eating whatever they could find. None of his family members had been killed by the Iraqis, but friends of his had not been so lucky.

Meeting this man and becoming the object of his appreciation made me feel wonderful. In fact, many times when I felt the most depressed about being away from Diane for so long with absolutely no control over when I could finally come home, I remembered this Kuwaiti man and why I had come.

However, I still felt self-conscious and embarrassed when he "thanked" me. After all, I did not win the war. I was just one of hundreds of thousands of Allied and American troops, just a lieutenant in a Combat Engineer unit.

Looking back on it though, I remember President Bush's late-February speech to the people at Raytheon who manufacture Patriot missiles (I happened to hear it live one night on Armed Forces radio). The President quoted Woodrow Wilson who said, "It takes 10,000 jobs to win a war."

Thinking about this, I realize that war is a tremendously collective effort. Just as the people at Raytheon had their part, I, a guy from Harvard, had my little part, and everyone here at home who supported those of us actually serving in Desert Storm had their part too.

Fortunately, there was no shortage of people from all segments of American life who were willing to share the burden, including here in the Harvard community. Throughout six difficult months of separation and worry, Diane and I received what can only be described as tremendous support. I received literally hundreds of morale boosting letters while serving in the Persian Gulf area, and the expressions of concern and friendship Diane received made a big difference for her here at home.

THE WONDERFUL THING about Desert Storm though, was that Diane and I, as an American soldier and spouse, were not alone in receiving such support. We, the Allies, had superior technology and firepower in this war.

But it was perhaps more important for all of us to open our mail (when it arrived), talk on the phone, listen to the radio and know that we were thoroughly loved and supported by our families, friends and fellow country people back at home.

Something tells me that songs like "Voices that Care" and "God Bless the USA" already sound sappy to many people. Nevertheless, these songs literally made everyone quiet and brought tears of pride and joy to everyone's eyes in the Gulf. The fact is that we, the soldiers and sailors of Desert Storm, were strong because America was strong.

In addition, I and the 15 or so other ROTC graduates from Harvard who served and fought in the war were strong in part because we received support from the Harvard community. On a personal level, Diane and I want to thank all of you at Harvard who supported us and helped both of us to be strong too. Thank you for being part of the effort.

That brings me back to the Kuwaiti man who thanked me so warmly. Remembering him now, I am not embarrassed; he was not just thanking me, but all of you too.