Glenroy Sinclair, Staff Reporter
Jerome Young, a Jamaican who served in the US Army in Iraq, points to a tattoo memorialising his fellow Jamaican Andre Chuck, who died in his arms while in the field. - ANDREW SMITH/PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
DURING HIS year-long tour of duty in Iraq as a member of the United States Army, Jerome Young saw one of his best friends killed and experienced the horrors of the war.
Born in the volatile Maxfield Avenue area of Kingston, Young says he has greater respect for freedom having witnessed first-hand the mayhem war in the Middle East has brought.
Gripped by painful memories, the former Holmwood Technical student twitches his face as he tells the story of how Andre Chuck, a 28-year-old Jamaican, died in his arms during combat in Iraq on December 21, 2003.
"We had just dropped off some government officials and were on the road driving when we came under attack by insurgents. One of my comrades got shot in the arm. Chuck got shot in the face, I could see the hole in his head," said Young, as he pointed to a portrait of Chuck, tattooed on his right hand, under the words 'Friends for Life'.
TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCE
"For a moment I could not believe it. I held Chuck and shook him several times, but he died in my arms! It was a very traumatic experience for me, I hope I will never ever experience anything like that again. It was one of my worst experiences during my one year and three days in Iraq," Young told The Gleaner yesterday.
The death of his close friend impacted on him for several days. He began suffering from stress as he was unable to sleep, eat and keep focus. He even lost several pounds. People were dying around him in large numbers.
At one stage, he did not believe he would return home alive.
"No, I thought I would have been killed because things were happening spontaneously. You just don't know what to expect next because no where was safe, sometime we were involved in shootings which lasted for about 30 minutes," he said.
The two Jamaicans were members of the Field Artillery Unit which supports other teams that were out in the field and needed fuel, ammunition, food and other necessities.
Chuck, who died leaving two young sons, was a former resident of McIntyre Villa, better known as Dunkirk in east Kingston. He was a former Vauxhall Secondary student. In his attempt to release the stress, Young took time out each day to record daily events in his diary, plus writing and recording songs on his laptop.
He has since recorded an album, plus live footage of the various events during his tour of duty in Iraq. The album is dedicated to his slain friend. Young said he has no regrets joining the U.S. Army.
