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Title: Former Army journalist to walk across Utah
Source:
www.sltrib.com
URL Source: http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_4348709
Published: Sep 16, 2006
Author: By Matthew D. LaPlante
Post Date: 2006-09-16 14:27:58 by Ferret Mike
Keywords: None
Views: 169
Comments: 7
A few months before he left Iraq, Marshall Thompson posted a to-do list on his private blog. "I have a list of things I hope to accomplish while I'm in Iraq," the Logan soldier wrote. "1. Stop all the bad guys; 2. Save all the good guys; 3. Develop some reliable way to tell the good guys from the bad guys; 4. Find WMDs so I can stop feeling used by the Bush administration; 5. Discover a new oil field that the U.S. can secretly tap. I figure the sooner G.W. gets what he wants, the sooner I can go home." That kind of wit and sarcasm were prevalent among Thompson's fellow soldiers, but wasn't allowed in print in the Anaconda Times, the base newspaper Thompson worked for as an Army journalist. Now home from his tour of duty, the Army reservist is breaking free. Turning his schooling in journalism and public affairs against the government that sent him - and hundreds of thousands of other troops - to war, Thompson has embarked upon a publicity-seeking campaign to galvanize support for a "responsible withdrawal" from Iraq. The plan: To walk across the reddest state in the nation in 26 days, a feat he acknowledges on his Web site - at http://www.soldierspeace.com - is "just a stunt to raise awareness of a problem." Thompson, the son of former Logan Mayor Doug Thompson, said he understands he does not speak for every service member - a majority of whom still appear to support the war. But the 27-year-old soldier - his Army Reserve contract doesn't expire for another year and a half - disagrees with those who contend that Americans can't support their troops without supporting the war. "I can't conceive of anyone who would feel hurt or down because people are talking about a rational way to bring them home," Thompson said. Now, in his home state that twice gave President Bush his largest margin of victory - and continues to support the Iraq war at levels far surpassing the national average - Thompson is hoping to win some converts. To do so, he must convince many he has a better perspective on Iraq than the majority of soldiers who return from the war with a different point of view. And from a geographical standpoint, he may. While most troops see only a small part of Iraq - and many never leave their forward operating base - Thompson traveled the war-torn nation, telling the stories of soldiers stationed in the so-called Sunni Triangle, the volatile Al Anbar province and the relatively peaceful Kurdish north. "I think that many people don't understand the level of disconnect that the U.S. military has from the civilian population," he said. "It's almost like a bubble. There is little to no cultural exchange." Thompson hinted at such problems in his articles - a story about Utah soldier Bart Rindlisbacher, which Thompson penned from Mosul, begins with an acknowledgment that, unlike Rindlisbacher, most troops don't get to interact with any Iraqi citizens. But by and large, Thompson said, the stories he most wanted to tell were stifled by superiors. "We tried, we sure tried, but in the end there is a level of censorship there," he said. "We weren't even allowed to talk about divorce rates. I mean, it's not a secret. Just because we don't print it doesn't mean no one knows about it." Thompson said he was also shot down when he sought to write about Turkish military incursions over the northern Iraqi border - actions he feels the U.S. is helpless to prevent because it would set a precedent for following terrorists over international boundaries. Now back in civilian clothes - he is pursuing a master's degree from Ohio University - Thompson is hoping that his stunt will provide a platform upon which to speak out about everything he learned in Iraq. His wife, Kristen, spoke often to her husband while he was away about what he could do to encourage public support for a withdrawal of troops from Iraq. But his idea to walk the length of Utah still seemed unusual to her. "It is a little crazy," she said. "But if that's what has to happen for people to pay attention to what he has to say, I support it." She'll walk alongside him throughout some of the trek - pushing a baby stroller with their 11-month-old daughter, Eliza, who was born early into Thompson's tour of duty. mlaplante@sltrib.com On her husband's planned walk
Sgt. Marshall Thompson leaves his newborn daughter at the airport on Sept. 25, 2005. Thompson arrived in Iraq a month before but was able to take his mid-tour leave early to be with his wife during the birth. (Kristen Olsen) 
Sgt. Marshall Thompson plays with Kurdish children near the Turkish border in May. Kurdish-controlled northern Iraq is stable enough that U.S. soldiers can walk in the cities without body armor. (Matt Andrews)
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#4. To: Ferret Mike (#0)
Join the Army. See the World. Keep what you see to yourself.
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Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latestby and large, Thompson said, the stories he most wanted to tell were stifled by superiors. "We tried, we sure tried, but in the end there is a level of censorship there," he said.
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