• February 24, 2003
• Vol. 59
• No. 7

Bracing for Battle

On the Front Lines American Troops Are Leaning Forward in Their Trenches, Waiting for War

The landscape is bleak. The nights are frigid, and the windblown sand gets into everything. Less than 20 miles from the border with Iraq, the Army's Third Infantry Division has set up a series of camps in the Kuwait desert. "Most days are like the movie Groundhog Day," jokes Lt. Dan Ganci of the endless drills and cleaning of weapons. In all, the Pentagon has 150,000 soldiers positioned around Iraq, with more pouring in all the time. While the training may be tedious, the possibility of war "is very real for us here," says Ganci. "It helps us stay focused. If we do go into harm's way, we're going to be first."

THE BUDDY SYSTEM
One likes rap and baggy jeans. The other punk music and vintage cars. Back home they might never speak to each other. But as fresh-faced platoonmates in Kuwait, Pvt. Eric Jarrard, 18, of Auburn, Wash., and Pvt. Graham Herman, 18, from Prescott Valley, Ariz., have become best friends. As the newest and youngest members of their platoon, "we're two guys who don't know much," says Herman. "So we help each other out." They share everything, including their apprehension. "I do get scared," says Jarrard. "You can't help it."

STORM WARNING
Many of those deployed see the showdown with Iraq as part of the struggle against terror post-Sept. 11. "This war is a personal thing," says Cmdr. Mark Hubbard, a fighter pilot aboard the aircraft carrier USS Constellation (under way in the Gulf on Jan. 24).

BAND OF BROTHERS
It came as no surprise that the three Guerra brothers—(from left, on the chow line) Max, 25, Gonzalo, 23, and Alvaro, 21—all joined the Army last year. "We always had to stick together," says Gonzalo, known as Gonzo. The three, who were born in Chile, admit that while their father, Miguel, 57, who works for LanChile Airlines in Miami, is delighted with his sons' decision, their mother, Veronica, 47, frets for their safety. (Max and Gonzo serve in different tank companies to reduce the risk of both becoming casualties, and Alvaro is at a separate camp.) "She wishes we were 10 years old again, so we could be running around wrestling each other," says Max, who like Alvaro is married. "I wish that too, but I'm here."

VOICES OF CONFIDENCE
Gonzo Guerra (center, sharing a laugh with tankmates Privates Williams and Farren) says he and his brothers enlisted in the Army mainly because it was a job that would allow them to earn money for a college education. But he adds that he also wants to help restore his adopted country's sense of security, which for more than a year has been shaken by the threat of terrorism. "It was really the only place," he says, "where we could get to the front line and make a difference." And somehow the three Guerra siblings, who point out that their name means "war" in Spanish, are convinced that they will be able to come through any battles in one piece. Says Max: "I know we are coming back."

FOOD FOR THOUGHT
There are no chocolates under the pillow at night. The showers are crude and privacy nonexistent. Troops bunk 10 to 18 in a tent, and the seating arrangements for dinner (right) are nothing to write home about. But amenities do exist at Camp New York (named in honor of the World Trade Center). Many soldiers have brought along portable DVD players, and many tents are equipped with an Internet connection for surfing and e-mail.

FAMILY TIES
First Lt. Dan Ganci, 24, has a personal incentive for preparing Iraq. His beloved uncle Peter Ganci, 54, the chief of the New York City Fire Department, was one of the 343 firefighters killed in the Sept. 11 terror attack on the Twin Towers. "Sacrifice like that is noble for the right cause," says Ganci, a West Point grad from Staten Island, whose job is to provide mortar support for advancing tanks. "I'm not here to avenge his death—just to make sure it doesn't happen again."