"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." -- Edmund Burke

After serving just under twenty years with the Marine Corps Reserve, state prison official and Command Sergeant Major Timothy (Tim) Grys, received the news that his unit was being activated.  Once all the “goodbyes” were said and arrangements made, their deployment was put on hold for a year because Turkey would no longer allow entrance through their country. 

After another round of emotional farewells were said, Grys and his unit were again activated in December 2003, arriving in Iraq by late February or early March 2004. With the ability to stay in contact with his family (pictured top left), who stayed busy in his absence with work, school, and a number of activities, Grys believes that “they ‘worked’ through [his] absence.”

While Grys and his unit, the 512th Engineering Battalion, Cincinnati, Ohio, traveled in a convoy from Kuwait, through Baghdad, and on to Balad Airbase, he noticed that “people were just not around.”  When they saw people at all, they were women and children performing hard manual labor; they never saw any men.

The 512th Engineering Battalion was a Command and Control unit, a unit which serves as a “parent unit” to a number of different units, providing its administrative and logistical support.  The supported units included an Active Marine Bridge Unit, a Reserve Marine Bridge Unit, an Active Army Bridge Unit, an Active Army Dive Unit, and a National Guard Well Drilling Unit. 

They were responsible for building the largest float bridge ever built in the area, building temporary housing for Iraqis when they were displaced due to security sweeps, and building water purification plants for Iraqis, many of whom probably did not potable water readily available before. 

As a Command Sergeant Major, Grys served as a “guru” to the other soldiers, responsible for training of weapons, making sure equipment was proper and prepared for use, as well as dress was appropriate. 

Located in the Sunni Triangle, one of the most dangerous areas of Iraq, Balad Airbase was under daily mortar attacks.  Grys believes that he witnessed acts of heroism on the part of U.S. troops “everyday.  Just going outside of ‘the wires’ was an act of heroism.”

Grys witnessed a marked change in Iraq and its citizens while he was there.  After about three months, people “started to come out of the woodwork, especially kids, just to wave.”  The children, true to their innocent nature were much bolder than their parents were when approaching the troops.  “They just wanted to know what was going on.”

The adults, however, displayed acts of sacrifice in their own way.  “When they’re standing in line for hours to vote and Americans won’t leave the house to vote on a rainy day, I think that’s pretty spectacular.”

By the time he and his unit left Grys observed major improvements to the Iraqi way of life.  Canals were cleaner so that they could irrigate their farms, medical facilities were available, often saving many lives, and countless water purification plants were installed.   “We made it better for the people in Iraq so that the people can vote and so that people aren’t as scared anymore.  It will impact the younger generation the most.”

Proud of the work his unit and the military has accomplished thus far, “I think it was a job that had to be done and no other country was going to step forward.”