supply trucks in Iraq; fought off guerrilla attacks
Marlboro Marine proud
to have done his duty
Unit helped to guard
Cpl. Chris Schirripa
supply trucks in Iraq; fought off guerrilla attacks
By larry ramer
Staff Writer
MARLBORO — For most people, living without a real shower for several weeks would spell disaster and they would be totally preoccupied with fixing the situation.
But most people have never served in Operation Iraqi Freedom as Marlboro resident Chris Schirripa did.
Schirripa, a reserve Marine lance corporal, said that during the war he never had the chance to take a real shower.
"We would rinse ourselves off with a bucket of water about once every three days," he said. "But we didn’t worry about [the lack of showers] too much because we had more important things to worry about."
One of the "more important things" the American soldiers had to worry about was attacks by Iraqi guerrillas. Schirripa’s platoon provided security for resupply convoys. When the convoys came under attack — which occurred primarily at night — Schirripa’s platoon had to stop and repel the attackers.
"They were mostly small groups, [and] while the convoy kept going, we would stop and take care of them," he said.
When the combat was going on, Schirripa said, he was not scared, but thinking about the fighting afterward was a little frightening, he said.
After the major fighting of the war had ended, Schirripa’s platoon accounted for its gear — weapons, trucks, and other equipment — and brought it back to Kuwait.
When Schirripa and his fellow soldiers had the chance to talk, they mostly spoke about home, and what they would do when they arrived there.
"No one talked about the war," he said.
The weather in Iraq was relatively cool during the March to May war — "only" 105 to 110 degrees. After the war as May heated up and gave way to June, the temperature exceeded 130 degrees at times. Luckily, after the war, Schirripa did not have to wear all his gear all of the time. Although there was not much humidity in the desert, Schirripa said he did still sweat in the heat.
Most of the Iraqi people he encountered were friendly, Schirripa said.
"Most of the Iraqis seemed happy to see us. A lot of them were friendly. They stood on the side of the road, waved and asked for food and water. We threw [food and water] out of our trucks. They also sold things [to us]," he said.
Asked how he felt about having served in the war, Schirripa said, "I am glad I was out there, doing my part as a Marine and being part of history."
Citing the weapons of mass destruction Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein was said to possess and the terrorist threat he posed against America, Schirripa said he felt the United States was justified in going to war against Iraq.
Schirripa did not have the opportunity to talk or communicate in any way with his family or friends at all during the war. Even mail was not an option because the soldiers’ frequent movement made writing and receiving mail impossible. As a result, Schirripa’s family, including his mother, Roe, his father, John, and his sister, Jessica, 16, did not receive any news about him throughout the war.
Of course, the war was a very difficult period for the other members of the Schirripa family.
"I was very upset, day and night," Roe Schirripa said. "It was rough for all of us, not knowing and not hearing [about Chris]."
Jessica said she was somewhat annoyed by anti-war signs that were posted on many lockers in Marlboro High School, which she attends.
"It bothered me a little, but the students (who had the signs) explained that they still support our troops Most people were understanding," she said.
When the family went to welcome Chris home last month, they could not find him in the crowd at first. They were briefly afraid, but Chris was eventually reunited with his family after a few minutes.
"We ran to Chris, hugged him and told him he looked great. … We were one of the lucky families who got our son back," his mom said.
The Schirripas hosted a large homecoming party for Chris on July 25. Approximately 200 family, friends and neighbors arrived to celebrate his safe return home.
"I promised him that if he came home safe, we would have a party and we didn’t care what it cost. We were going to do it," Roe Schirripa said.
The proud mother said she wanted to thank many people who helped make Chris and his family’s life easier during his service in Iraq.
Many schools and organizations wrote letters to Chris and his fellow soldiers during the war, including the Asher Holmes School, Robertsville School, Marlboro Elementary School, the Frank DeFino Central School, Marlboro High School, the YMCA of Western Monmouth County, religious instruction classes, Marlboro Girl Scouts and Brownies.
Township employees, Mayor Matthew Scannapieco, his staff, and other township employees, including the police, helped collect supplies for Chris and his fellow soldiers.
The Marlboro First Aid Squad also contributed to the collection effort. Andrea Mesh, a concerned citizen, volunteered to collect and send products to soldiers in Iraq through her project SOS (Support Our Soldiers). The Marlboro Improvement and Cultural Fund provided financing to ship the supplies and local supermarkets donated goods to Chris and other soldiers.
Mesh added that individuals or businesses who want to donate products to American soldiers remaining in Iraq should drop off goods at the Marlboro police station.