Home from Iraq, Ward returns to police duties

Seven months on active duty in Iraq has given Sean Ward some perspective now that he’s returned to patrol duties as a UMass Amherst Police officer.

“It’s nice to drive around without someone trying to blow you up,” he said. “But I’ll you what I tell my brother officers: I had it better than some and I had it worse than others.”

A National Guard member for nearly 17 years, Ward was called up last July and sent to train for duty in Iraq.

“It was pretty hard leaving my family,” Ward said, adding that he and wife decided not to worry their son and daughter by telling them that dad was headed to Iraq. He also bade goodbye to Zeke, his K9 partner of nearly two years. “That was also hard, since we were together 24-7,” he says.

By September, when classes were getting underway on campus, the staff sergeant was in the northeastern part of the war-torn Mideast nation leading a 10-member unit conducting security operations.

Though Ward can’t discuss the details of his unit’s mission, he says the soldiers operated in and around the cities of Irbil and Kirkuk and sometimes in the surrounding mountains and countryside.

“We saw a lot of poverty and the aftermath of what the insurgents had done to the local population,” he says. Though the daytime temperature was over 100 degrees when Ward first arrived in Iraq, his command escaped the worst of the summer heat.

Combat conditions were a more constant concern, says Ward, requiring the troops to be on alert for roadside bombs and ambushes. They were also wary of being followed by possible adversaries.

Like Ward, many of the members in his squad had prior police service, which complemented the Army training they’d been given in driving techniques, small team movements and other skills needed for the war zone.

As National Guard members, he adds, the soldiers brought more real-life knowledge and judgment to their work, which he believes gave them a leg up on the average 18- to 19-year-old regular Army troops.

Ward and his unit moved around a lot, but kept in touch with home via e-mail. The soldiers were cheered when news filtered down that they might be relieved earlier than expected. The story proved true and by mid-March, Ward was reunited with his family.

But it wasn’t long before Ward was ready to get back to police work. Three weeks after arriving stateside, he was on duty again with the 3-11 p.m. shift.

“It was good to be back,” he says. “I was welcomed back with open arms from chief right on down the line.”

The department also took steps to ease him back into patrol duties, having him ride with other officers to re-familiarize him with the campus and procedures.

Although Zeke has teamed up with another officer, Ward says he’d like to return to K9 duty some day, calling it the “best responsibility I’ve ever had.”

And he’s had some time to think about his experience in Iraq and the perception of the war at home.

“I think there’s a lack of truth within the media,” says Ward. “They don’t report on the good stuff that’s going on over there – maybe because they don’t have people everywhere. … I’m proud of what I did and I’ve got no issues with people who see things differently. Obviously different veterans have different opinions and that’s okay.”

But the most important part of his time in Iraq, says Ward, is that all of his soldiers returned homely safely. “That’s all the reward I need.”

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May 15, 2008.

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