MILLTOWN – Two newly hired police officers in the borough had to put off starting their new careers to go serve in Iraq.
Eric Wachenheim and Ryan Uzunis, both residents and recent graduates from area police academies, met when they were hired by the Milltown Police Department in December. They will serve at the same base in Iraq.
“My wedding was all planned and everything, and then they dropped the bomb and said, ‘You’re going to Iraq,’” Wachenheim said. “I knew the possibility existed, but [I wasn’t] going, as far as I knew.”
Wachenheim got the news of his deployment in February, soon after starting police training in January. He and his wife Tara were married May 3, after purchasing their new home April 1.
While it might seem that there could not be worse possible timing, Wachenheim took it all in stride. The 31-year-old enlisted in theArmy at the age of 19, and said he plans to re-enlist until he has reached his 20-year retirement.
“I realized [when I enlisted] I wasn’t going anywhere, and I knew the Army was a good choice,” Wachenheim said.
Those close to the soldier respect his military career, but still do not want to see him go to war. According to Wachenheim, Tara, his childhood sweetheart, is not happy about his deployment. Though he said he knows nothing will make her feel differently about it, Wachenheim tried to present the silver lining of the situation by telling his wife he will make good money while in Iraq, on which they can build a future.
Wachenheim’s parents, who live in East Brunswick, are also not pleased with their son being amid the dangers of war, he said. His father’s past service in the Navy made him a little more understanding of the situation, Wachenheim said. His brothers and other family members are also concerned for his safety.
“I’ve got to do what I’ve got to do for myself and my country,” he said. “Everybody has always been very supportive.”
Though Wachenheim is a newlywed, newly hired as a police officer and just bought a new home, his feelings about being deployed to Iraq go beyond an obligatory call of duty. While he might not have preferred for things to turn out the way they have, Wachenheim is looking at his circumstances with a positive attitude.
“I’m excited about it,” he said. “I mean, I’ve been in the Army 12 years, and I think it’s time I go to war. It’s like training for a football game that you’re never going to play.”
Wachenheim has certainly put in his share of training, most recently serving fulltime active duty with the Army National Guard before beginning his police training. He said the Army cut him some slack so he could juggle his police schooling with his military duties.
“The academy is very stressful and very difficult,” Wachenheim said. “I had the Iraq thing looming over my head, along with trying to plan a wedding and buying a house.”
Now that he has graduated, all the hard work will pay off, he said. When he arrives home a year from now, his job as a police officer will be waiting for him.
“I was just kind of floating along in life, and I get this great opportunity to be a cop in the town I live in,” Wachenheim said.
His optimism extended to his wife’s wellbeing while he is away, saying his family plans to take care of her in any way they can during his absence.
An E-6 staff sergeant, Wachenheim said his rank would have him working as shift supervisor in a maximum-security prison, a position that could help to afford him at least some level of safety. While superiors told him that it would be the case, Wachenheim said he would not consider anything for certain until it happens.
“Whenever they tell you things in the military, it always changes,” Wachenheim said. Wachenheim is aware of the dangers that could lie ahead, and he spoke openly about what he fears most.
“I’m not really scared of dying. I’m more afraid of losing a limb … because then I can’t perform my dream job,” Wachenheim said.
He reasoned that he would rather see his wife taken care of than for him to become disabled, both stark possibilities to face. Wachenheim is training for two and a half months at Fort Bliss, Texas, and then will spend nine and a half months in Iraq. Despite the fact that he is heading off to war, the soldier has no regrets.
“The Army has been one of the greatest things in my life,” he said.
Uzunis, who left for training in Texas last week, could not be reached for this story. Like Wachenheim, he will be away for a year, and his job, as a Milltown police officer, will await him when he returns.