Kevin Dunaway was first deployed to Iraq in August 2004.  A Chief Warrant Officer 4 in the 3rd Marine Airwing, Dunaway joined the Marines in December 1971 and retired in June 2005. 

“In 2004, I was actually due to retire, but I requested one year retention so I could go to Iraq.  I was on my service limitation in June 2004, and so I was looking at mandatory retirement.  However, as I neared mandatory retirement, General Bergman visited our site in Kuwait.  He had retired once already, and then been called back to active duty.  Some of us had skills that the military was seriously looking at keeping, so I asked why not just keep us instead of calling us back from retirement?  General Bergman said that was a good idea, and I should write a letter about it.  I did, and they kept me,” Chief Dunaway laughed.

He served in Iraq from August 2004 until January 2005.  The 3rd Marine Airwing was responsible for air support and air combat missions in Iraq.  Chief Dunaway’s job was to act as Facilities Officer for the largest airbase in the Middle East.  “I was able to work with Iraqi citizens, like businessmen and former Iraqi military personnel, so I was able to interact with many people and was able to talk about the different perspectives of why we were there.”   

He continued, “While I was in Iraq, I saw many improvements in the condition of facilities and in the country.  For example, while I was there, we got the largest electric facility in the country back on line and almost up to its maximum output.” 

In addition, a sewage treatment facility was repaired so raw sewage was no longer being dumped into the Euphrates River.  And schools opened again because the U.S. military restored the electricity, thus making the buildings usable again during the very cold and very hot weather.  Prior to this, Iraqi children would only attend school one day per week because the buildings were intolerable.

Everyday, Chief Dunaway saw the sacrifices made by the Iraqi people to build a free society.  “The most shocking and important thing to me was that our airbase had a national guard and police training academy for Iraqis.  One day, there were about 30 or 40 Iraqi men waiting outside the base to come in and start their training.  A car bomber driving a taxi drove up as close as possible to the line and detonated his explosive.  He killed 18 people and injured the rest.  The very next day, there were just as many of young men in the same spot waiting to start school.  They all knew what had happened the day before.  They were risking their lives for the training,” stated Chief Dunaway. 

When asked what he is most proud of, Chief Dunaway replied, “The progress being made in the entire country.  What we are doing there is absolutely the right thing to do.  We are having a huge impact on history and all the countries where we are right now, like Pakistan and Afghanistan.”