A return trip for
soldier Ryan Bowman

By Tom Waring
Times Staff Writer

When Ryan Bowman and the other members of his unit arrived in Iraq in August, one of the first orders of business for the soldiers was to select when to take their 15-day leave.
The military gives priority to new parents or soldiers celebrating wedding anniversaries or a child’s birthday.
For Bowman, his decision was easy. His son Ryan Jr. turned 2 on Christmas Day.
"I wanted to be home for my son’s birthday and Christmas," he said. "It worked out real good."
Bowman, who lives on Chippendale Street in Mayfair, arrived at Philadelphia International Airport on Dec. 18. His wife Nicole and little Ryan picked him up.
For two-plus weeks, Bowman enjoyed his stay at home. He’s back in Iraq, having left on the morning of Jan. 3.
During his time home, his parents Rick and Patti visited from Florida. He visited his co-workers at Cippco Contractors in Torresdale. And he took his son to the playground and put together all his toys from Santa Claus.
Bowman, who turned 30 in July, credits his wife for working as a financial analyst for a law firm and doing a good job raising their son, who is talking in complete sentences, attending nursery school and generally doing a lot of growing up while his daddy is serving his country overseas.
"He was attached to me the whole time," he said of the time spent with his son.
"I was happy to be able to come home. It was good to be home for that birthday."
After the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Bowman enlisted in the U.S. Army. He served in Iraq from February 2003 to February 2004. He took part in raids, kicked down doors concealing insurgents, patrolled the streets, gathered intelligence and helped rebuild cities.
After three years of active duty in the Army, he was placed in the Individual Ready Reserve for five years.
Last February, he was given orders to report for infantry training in Fort Benning, Ga. He arrived at the beginning of April and was one of 11 soldiers with a prior deployment who were approved to join a Maryland National Guard unit.
Bowman and the other 10 Iraq veterans shared their experiences with the National Guard members as the group trained from May to August at the Army base at Fort Dix, N.J. The training included a mock Iraq landscape and communication with Arabic-speaking people.
The 140-member, all-male unit did some more training in Kuwait before landing in northern Iraq in late summer. Its main mission is base defense.
"It’s not as dangerous," Bowman said, comparing the tour to his first deployment.
"We’re not on the streets of Iraq every day dealing with roadside bombs."
And that’s fine with Bowman, a former specialist who’s since been promoted to sergeant and team leader of a weapons squad.
"The first time, I didn’t have a wife and kid. I just wanted to fight," he said.
Bowman expects to remain in Iraq until May and will be eligible to be recalled one more time.
During this tour, he’s working seven days a week. The shifts last from nine to 13 hours.
The soldiers provide base security and go on missions to villages, talking to citizens, bringing them food and water and checking on stabilization efforts.
"It’s relatively quiet, for the time being," he said.
Compared to his last tour, Bowman said Iraqi security forces have improved. Instead of being a ragtag unit, members have matching uniforms and equipment.
"It seems pretty good. They really want peace in their country," he said.
The same goes for the Iraqi people, in his opinion.
"I’ve been in their homes. I drank tea with them. They’re hospitable people. They want their children and family to grow up in a better country," he said.
The people of Maryland and the California-based Operation Gratitude have been generous about sending treats to the troops. They get letters from school children, and each soldier received a real, miniature Christmas tree.
For fun, Bowman and the other soldiers can watch movies, sing karaoke or play poker, pool, darts, Xbox or Wii. His room has a microwave, a refrigerator and a small television with 11 channels on the Armed Forces Network, which features movies and prime-time American TV shows.
Bowman sleeps and works a lot, listens to the 2,000 songs on his Microsoft Zune and uses the Internet and e-mail on his laptop computer. The soldiers are fed four times a day, with the highlight being shrimp and steak night on Fridays.
"The living conditions have gotten a lot better for the soldiers," Bowman said.
A Phillies season ticket-holder, Bowman wasn’t able to fully enjoy the team’s run to the National League East Division championship.
Iraq is eight hours ahead of Philadelphia, meaning most of the games were taking place while it was the middle of the night on the base.
Bowman and Dennis Wells, a New York Mets fan from North Jersey, took the 20-minute walk to the computer lab to watch games online or wait for scoreboard updates on baseball Web sites. Other times, Bowman’s dad or twin brother Rick would use computer instant messages to keep him up to date.
After the Phillies made a late-season run and the Mets stumbled, Bowman celebrated from afar. His family sent him pictures of the post-game celebration and the festive scene from Frankford and Cottman avenues.
"It was great that the Phillies took it from the Mets on the last weekend," he said. ••
Reporter Tom Waring can be reached at 215-354-3034 or twaring@phillynews.com