Oral History Of Iraq and Afghanistan

Oral History Of Iraq & Afghanistan: Command Sgt. Maj. Samuel Rhodes
As Told To Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.
Saturday, Sept. 19, 2009


Command Sgt. Maj. Samuel Rhodes (retired)
48 Years Old
Army, 1980-2009
Served in Iraq

• Oral History Project
The son of a World War II veteran, Samuel Rhodes joined the Army in 1980 and rose to the rank of command sergeant major. He first deployed to Iraq in 2003-2004 and voluntarily returned to the warzone after just two months at home. After his third tour, when he was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, his marriage of 26 years ended and he contemplated suicide. Now retired from the Army, he works with horses and helps other troubled veterans.

I used to be afraid of flying because I was afraid I was going to crash and die. The thing about life is over here you don't see any bad stuff, for the most part. People think, "They closed Wal-Mart today," and they get all stressed out. But that's not important at all. [Over there] you're seeing people killed, you're seeing Iraqis dead by the side of the roads.

You can't just stop working, you have to continue the work. You go through some traumatic events and you can't just shut it down. Continue the mission. I understand we lost [a soldier] and here's our mission and keep doing it, we love you. And when they get back to the FOB [Forwarded Operating Base], make sure they have counselors available and anything else.

There's a lot of counseling: combat stress doctors, chaplains, and a lot of guys like myself that have been around the block a couple of times can sometimes get more out of them with a doctor. The soldier appreciates that -- "Sergeant Major's taking time to talk to me." If you really care they can see it in your eyes; and if you don't care, you're wasting your time. So it ain't really about you, it's about what the soldiers need and deserve.
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Command Sgt. Maj. Samuel Rhodes