Posted on 03/29/2003 8:20:02 AM PST by knighthawk
NAVY clearance diver Troy Miles gropes blindly through murky water to search for Iraqi mines. He emerges from the Persian Gulf to hear the rattle and boom of the war above him.
Back home in Cairns, his wife Ali Miles hears all Troy's horror stories over the telephone.
"He said the dust storms are like cyclones and the water he is diving in is so dark he can hardly see in front of him," Mrs Miles said after speaking to her husband on Thursday.
"He can hear the battle overhead. He said it was full on, pretty mad. He said you would think it was loud fireworks but then you know that it's not."
But she's confident her 26-year-old husband is safe.
"I know the troops are around the divers, protecting them. I know that he can do his job and do it well," she said.
Leading Seaman Miles always wears a flak jacket and carries a gun.
Mrs Miles, 31, said her husband was on rations and had lost weight. She added she supported his call to duty.
"It was a bit terrifying at the start but you just have to have faith.
"He believes in what he is doing. He loves his job, he loves it with a passion and he's so patriotic."
But Mrs Miles said she was disappointed her husband couldn't be with their first-born child Lily-Jasmine.
Photos of the four-month-old are regularly sent to Ldg Seaman Miles, who is stationed in an old warehouse in Umm Qasr. He is expected to remain in Umm Qasr for the next month.
Ldg Seaman Miles is one of the divers responsible for removing mines in waters around southern Iraq to allow humanitarian aid into the country.
Mrs Miles said her husband's spirits were high and he was determined to work hard and get aid to those in need.
"The morale of his team is very high. All the allies have pulled together. There is no bickering between them.
"No defence person wants a war but that's what they are there for. They are liberating the country and getting aid through to those people."
Mrs Miles, who migrated to Australia from England after meeting her husband while on holiday in Cairns in 1998, said she missed him terribly.
"It's hard being away from him. I love him. He is funny, loyal and trustworthy. He's everything I thought my husband would be."
Ldg Seaman Miles joined the navy when he was just 16.
His brother, Petty Officer Scott Miles, is a navy hydrographics systems manager. He has not been sent to Iraq.
Mrs Miles said before leaving for Iraq her husband told her he was honouring the Anzacs by fighting for Australia.
She said the A-grade rugby league player and other defence force members stationed in and around Iraq deserved the support of all Australians.
"They have a job to do. If people have a problem with the war they should take it up with the appropriate person and still support them," she said.
"Troy wants the Australian people's support. It's a major morale boost to the boys out there.
"He wants to know the Australian people are behind the troops."
Ldg Seaman Miles' mum Lillian Coombes said she was confident her son would return home safely.
"I'm worried about his safety but he is capable and knows what he is doing and that makes us feel comfortable.
"Our thoughts and prayers are constantly with him. The family is very proud of him."
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