Caption Tim Rosner/Photographer

Imagine sleeping in a barrack located in a world totally opposite to everything you know. How about sleeping in a cot in a warehouse, on concrete in some foreign building or, even worse, sleeping in the sand?

Since February, these have been the living conditions for Specialist Sean O. Dickson, son of Elon biology lab manager and professor Catherine Newsome.

Dickson, 25, is currently stationed with the U.S. Army's 82nd Airborne Division in Baghdad.

Dickson grew up in various parts of the South, including Alabama, Mississippi, and North Carolina, with his older sister and younger sister, who is currently a sophomore at Elon. After graduating from a catholic high school, Dickinson tried his hand at various odd jobs.

Eventually, he was drawn to the Army. It gives him steady pay, housing, food and medical care. It also gave him a sense of patriotism and a chance to continue the tradition of military service within his family.

When Dickson found out he was to go overseas to fight in Iraq, his mother said she was very distressed. Dickson had mixed feelings about leaving. He knew he was ready to go, because he's part of a very elite troop that was extensively trained to do almost anything, and he knew that would see him through. But he was still afraid of what he might encounter. After he was gone, Newsome said she felt empty and lost. Like much of the nation she was glued to the news, fearful of some sort of chemical attack.

"I cried and wailed in the car each morning and evening," she said. Nonetheless, she said she is extremely proud of him.

Conditions for the troops in Iraq have been extremely harsh, but they have managed. Over the summer, temperatures reached 140 degrees while troops were still wearing full uniforms. Dickson lost 20 pounds during that time.

Sleeping conditions have varied. Dickson and his unit just moved into a barrack where they finally have beds, but still rarely get to sleep more than one or two hours at a time. Newsome said the lack of sleep has been hard on her son.

"The other day he called me and he said, 'Mom, you wouldn't believe it, I slept nine hours last night!'" said Newsome, adding that her son sounded extremely excited about what may have been his first full night's sleep in months.

The first few months he was overseas with his unit they were unable to shower. When they moved into a warehouse over the summer they finally got to bathe with a shower the troops rigged up using some tubing and a container.

Since the troops cannot walk down the street to a Laundromat to do laundry, they simply rinse their clothes off in buckets of water.

Aside from their conditions, the situation in Iraq when Dickson and his fellow soldiers arrived wasn't quite ideal. The streets were flooded with sewage that was green from algae.

Walking down the streets of Baghdad, the troops would see modern conveniences followed by sudden flocks of goats or camels in the midst of a bustling city. Dickson said everything is different, from the way electrical wires are configured to the way people socially interact. He said he has had a hard time adjusting to these cultural differences.

Dickson's job comes with plenty of danger. He is a sniper, and his job entails performing reconnaissance from the tops of buildings in Baghdad. His troop patrols Baghdad and searches buildings, and have found ammunition in all sorts of places, including schools and mosques. Every day the troops face unfriendly fire and every now and then they have to deal with mortars and grenades.

Newsome said she has heard numerous stories from her son about their violent encounters and said she knows "these troops are going to come back different."

She said for her son, life is not about trying to get the bad guy but more about "trying to keep your buddy alive."

Newsome said she hears from her son once or twice a week by telephone, which she said is a huge improvement to how contact was in the beginning.

When he first arrived in Iraq, they communicated through letters, which took approximately a month to be delivered. Now letters take about two weeks, but Newsome said her packages to her son still take about a month to arrive in Iraq.

During September and October he had access to the Internet and was able to e-mail her. However, Newsome said there are only 20 computers available for 1000 soldiers, so soldiers must wait hours to use a computer if they want to exchange e-mails with their families.

Due to the distance from home and their constant time together, Dickson said the soldiers in his unit have become family to each other. The diverse group has formed a strong bond where they all look out for each other. Dickson, who came from a strong Christian background, said he finds comfort through religion and God's guidance, as do many of the other troops with him, who he said thank God each time they make it through a day safely.

During their little free time the group eats, sleeps or exercises. Dickson said they have created a weight room and made weights from rubble to suffice for what they do not have.

Dickson has recently gotten word of a possible return home mid-January. He also just passed his sergeants tests with a perfect score.

Overall, Dickson said he is eager to get home to America, where the customs are more to his liking than over in Iraq. And as for Newsome, she said that though she is eager for her son's return, she is very proud of him and holds a lot of respect for the military.

"Anytime I see a person in uniform I just want to hug them and say thank you," she said.

Elon University Pendulum © 2003