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| RAMADI, Iraq -- Spc. Gerald Bradner, 21, from Brookneal, Va., is an intelligence annalist with 3rd Battalion, 69th Armored Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division stationed at Camp Blue Diamond. He graduated William Campbell High School in 2004 and will attend the U.S. Military Academy, better known as West Point, in August 2008. Bradner is the first person from William Campbell High School to go to West Point in more than 40 years. |
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| RAMADI, Iraq -- Spc. Gerald Bradner, 21, from Brookneal, Va., is an intelligence annalist with 3rd Battalion, 69th Armored Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division stationed at Camp Blue Diamond. He graduated William Campbell High School in 2004 and will attend the U.S. Military Academy, better known as West Point, in August 2008. Bradner is the first person from William Campbell High School to go to West Point in more than 40 years. |
RAMADI, Iraq -- (Dec. 10, 2007) -- If there was a place that could characterize the combined, total effort being put into the security and future of Iraq’s Al Anbar Province, it very well may be Camp Blue Diamond, near Ramadi. Uniforms from every military branch of the Department of Defense can be found here. It is also home to the headquarters element of the 7th Iraqi Army Division. Iraqi police guard the streets just outside the gates. It is a complete melting pot of everyone involved in the Anbar success story.
People here come from all walks of life, from various corners of the world, unique in every sense of the word, but seem to be connected by a common value, which is a shared patriotism for their homeland. For one soldier here on his first deployment, it is not only an opportunity of a lifetime, but a way to relate to those in his family who also answered when their nation called.
“I was brought up to believe that every man should serve his country however he can,” said Spc. Gerald Bradner, 21, from Brookneal, Va. “Everyone from my grandfather all the way down to me has served when our country was at war. It’s a great family tradition.”
Bradner, an intelligence annalist with 3rd Battalion, 69th Armored Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division, joined the U.S. Army shortly after he graduated William Campbell High School in 2004. His grandfather and great uncles all fought the Axis aggression in World War II. His father volunteered to fight communism in Vietnam. And today, Bradner is proud to be combating terrorism in Iraq.
“This may be the only conflict in our lifetime and I couldn’t imagine just sitting it out,” he said.
Bradner is tall and slender, standing 6-foot, 3-inches. He wears his uniform well and with pride. His demeanor is confident and mature, well passed his age. He is what makes U.S. soldiers admired by others. He is a man of decisions, a man who is proud of where he came from and excited about where he is going.
The greatest compliment to Bradner’s character may be when his superior officers, only knowing him a short time, recommended he apply for a commissioning program. Up until this point, Bradner constantly questioned his future in the army, but this deployment changed all of that.
“I didn’t think I was going to like the Army as much as I do, but I really love wearing the uniform and I like serving my country,” he said.
In order to become an officer in the U.S. military, Bradner will have to complete four years of college and earn a bachelor’s degree. He will have to chose a major, which he said would be history, but he will not have to chose a university. His superiors felt he was a prime candidate for one of America’s premiere institutions, the U.S. Military Academy better known as West Point.
Located on the Hudson River, 50 miles north of New York City, Bradner will become a cadet in the class of 2012 and part of an alumnus with men such as Gen. Robert E. Lee, Buzz Aldrin and Dwight D. Eisenhower. To Brander, this is a challenge he is eager to begin.
“I’ve got mixed feelings about it, I’m really nervous. I’m worried about the transition from being a soldier to being a student,” he said. “I’m sure it’ll be exciting.”
Another testament to Bradner’s unique character is the rarity and relationship his high school has with West Point. The last time someone from his high school attended West Point Bradner’s father had yet to deploy to Vietnam. .
“I’ll be the first person from my high school to go to West Point in 40 years. So I’m really excited about that. I look at it as an opportunity to set myself apart from my peers,” he said. “Going up in a small town, I’m glad to be able to stand out and represent my community however I can.”
Not only will he stand out in his community, the ribbons on his chest will immediately set him apart from those in his freshman class. By then, he will be a combat vet, having spent more than a year in Iraq.
Bradner will enroll in August, 2008, for the fall semester. West Point only admits approximately 1200 students a year, 200 of which are prior enlisted but has to attend a prep school prior to attending the military college. Bradner is part of a select few who gets to bypass prep classes and go straight to the academy. Only 20 soldiers are given this chance every year, he is one of them.
For now, thoughts of college life will have to wait. Bradner said he can not afford to think about freshman year because he still has a lot of important work left to do in Ramadi.
Currently, Bradner gathers all sorts of information and aids in the counter-insurgency fight against Al Qaeda.
“We collect information to determine where Al Qaeda is maintaining safe havens and try to figure out where they are going to strike next and what we can do to prevent that,” he said. “We also try to keep abreast of the enemies latest tactics.”
His role here is much more aggressive and involved than it may appear. He spends a lot of time behind a desk and speaking to leaders in the Iraqi army and police. Although the conversations are casual, the information gathered from them will have a direct impact on the actions of men with guns out in Ramadi.
“The simplest way I can put it is, an infantryman kicks in doors, but intel points at which door to kick in,” said Bradner.
His deployment started back in mid-January. Back then, Ramadi was still in the midst of transition and a bit unstable. This place was still dealing with roadside bombs, sniper fire and mortar attacks.
“When we first got to Ramadi, the place was bad,” he said. “We were seeing 10-15 attacks per day, and that was normal. Some days we’d see 20 attacks. Before we left, we conducted an operation with the Marines and that really helped clean up Ramadi. Since then, we’ve galvanized the tribal leaders and they’ve basically ousted Al Qaeda. A lot of it is due to kinetic actions from U.S. soldiers, but a vast majority of it is due to the cooperation with community sheiks and them not allowing Al Qaeda to take safe haven in Ramadi anymore.”
Bradner has also noticed changes in the people of Ramadi, the provincial capital of Anbar.
“When we first got here, the Iraqis were kind of standoffish,” he said. “Now they really look at us as friends, like we’re here to help and not like we’re a threat or have some type of ulterior motive.”
If Bradner could point to one thing about his deployment he takes the most pride in, it is being able to make a difference while he was here. He said he will be able to look back years from now and feel like he was a part of the success of al Anbar Province. And, although he misses his family and will be spending his first Christmas away from home, he said he wouldn’t change a thing.
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