Serving his country: Memorial Day holds new meaning for Chuck Caves

By Matt Milner

May 24, 2008 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- OSKALOOSA -- Chuck Caves is relaxed, sitting in a comfortable chair at home. An aging Scottie looked quizzically at the guests from a chair beside him.

Caves reassured the Scottie that the new people were friendly, and the dog dismissed each with a quick sniff of the hand. It's home, the home Caves has now after years on the move.

He shuffled between foster homes when he was a kid. He currently lives in Georgia, but he's on leave. Caves is able to spend Memorial Day back in Iowa, the first one since he spent more than a year deployed to Iraq.

Caves is wearing his uniform, his pant legs tucked into the sand-colored boots. He's used to it by now and is comfortable, even when it looks out of place at his home just outside Oskaloosa.

He readily admits this weekend's holiday has more meaning now. Being in a war zone changed things. He arrived in Ramadi in January 2007 and got back to the United States in March 2008. Fighting was routine during the first few months, before things quieted down.

"We were part of the first surge," Caves said.

It's a long way from where he started.

Caves took his foster parents' name when he was 18. It wasn't the first foster home for him, just the one where he really became part of the family. He has a dry sense of humor when he talks about being moved from house to house. It helped prepare him for moving around in the Army, he says with just the slightest hint of a grin.

Joining the military also helped get him out of a rut. He says he drank and partied when he was younger. But it got boring. He wanted to do something else, and the Army was a good option.

Caves has several years to go before he has to think about the next step.

"Right now I can't say yes or no [about re-enlistment]. I'm out in 2014," he says. His unit is scheduled for another overseas deployment, though he can't yet say when. And he thinks he could see as many as three additional deployments before his enlistment term is up. "It's in God's hands, not mine."

Caves believes the U.S. Army is doing good work in Iraq. He heard about their help with a school while he was there, but never saw it himself.

Children are another matter. He knows firsthand how they reacted to seeing the soldiers. They were generally friendly. Most adults were, too, but not all.

"We also had some who would just glare at us," he said.

That's understandable, he continues. The adults were largely set in their ways before the U.S. invasion of Iraq. But the children are his best hope for the country. Maybe they will remember the Americans in a better light.

"While we were there, I was on the road an average of twice a day. We had kids come up to us, smiling and wanting photos," he said. "I am glad I'm doing what I'm doing."

On Monday he has another responsibility. Caves is a member of the American Legion and will participate in the ceremonies for Memorial Day. Most people think of veterans as an older collection of people, their wars written up in history books. And, for the most part, they're right.

Caves is part of a new group of veterans. One day he will leave the Army. His military career will be part of his past and he will be a civilian again. But for now he's glad he has the chance to spend Memorial Day in uniform, honoring those who came before him.

Matt Milner can be reached at (641) 683-5359 or via e-mail at mwmilner@mchsi.com

Newstex ID: KRTB-0395-25517623