Hanging out with family. Riding her motorcycle. Laying in the grass and smelling the flowers.
That’s what Sara Frank plans to do for the next two weeks.
It may sound like nothing special unless you’ve just spent the last seven months serving in Iraq.
‘I missed everything,? especially ‘the little things you never appreciated before? like red cars, swimming, and being able to ‘sit back and relax,? she said.
A specialist in the U.S. Army, Frank was deployed to Iraq in November 2005. She’s assigned to the 404th Aviation Support Battalion, 4th Infantry Division stationed at Camp Taji (once known as Camp Cooke), a former Iraqi military base located in the northern outskirts of Baghdad.
Frank, a 2004 graduate of Oxford High School, arrived back in town Monday for a two-week leave. She said ‘it’s a little weird? to be home.
‘It’s my first day home and I haven’t looked for my weapon yet, so I’m proud of myself,? said Frank with a chuckle.
She explained that in Iraq, ‘You always need to stay alert. It doesn’t matter where you’re at.?
‘You just need to keep an eye on everybody,? said Frank, who’s staying with parents Dale and Terry along with faithful dog Kisses. Big sister Alisha, a 2002 OHS graduate, drove into town Monday night from New York City.
The ‘Message Center? billboard on M-24 welcomed Frank back to Oxford with big bold letters for all to see.
To celebrate the Christmas she missed, a tree adorned with red, white and blue lights and ornaments made by the Frank children was erected in the living room of the family’s W. Burdick Street home.
‘I’m so glad she came home safely,? said mom Terry. ‘I’m just so thankful to God for bringing her home.?
Although she’s certainly happy to be reunited with her family, whom she missed very much, Frank said she developed another family while in Iraq.
‘Once you get over there, the people you work with become your family because that’s who you have to count on,? she said. ‘You’ve got to learn to trust them. You’ve got to learn to respect them.?
Frank, who celebrates her 21st birthday on June 22, spent the first three months of her tour as a truck driver, picking up supplies for aircraft and making sure the ‘pods,? the troops? living quarters, had water.
During one of her drives, she encountered a sand storm, which she called ‘the coolest thing I ever saw.?
‘The sky turns orange and you see sand, like this big ocean wave, just fall over you,? Frank said. ‘You just keep on going. There’s no reason to stop. It’s just like being in a bad rain storm.?
Weather-wise, she said the hottest it’s been so far is over 125 degrees. Being in the desert, she was surprised by how much it’s rained since she’s been there.
‘I didn’t expect mud caked on my boots,? she said.
Frank’s spent the last four months working in the mail room.
‘I pick up mail for my whole brigade,? she said.
Although the work isn’t glamorous and can be tedious at times, Frank’s proud of the fact that she’s helping raise morale by making sure soldiers get packages and letters from home.
‘You know you’re doing some good,? she said. ‘It doesn’t matter what you’re doing.?
Some of those care packages came from the Oxford Women’s Social Club, which has hosted packing parties around town, most recently at Independence Village of Waterstone.
‘It is so nice to see how much people really care about us,? wrote Frank in a recent letter to Hadley resident Louise Downs, also known as the ‘Desert Angel,? who helps coordinate packing parties for the troops. ‘It’s even better when the people are from my home town.?
Frank gets a real kick out some of the things people send the troops. ‘Someone told me they got a box full of ketchup,? she said. ‘We have ketchup there. We do get real food.?
Camp Taji has the largest PX in Iraq, which includes a Subway, Burger King and Pizza Hut.
Despite being there for seven months, Frank said, ‘I haven’t seen much of the country.?
‘When you’re not working, you have to stay on base,? she said. Although the capital city of Baghdad is only about 20 kilometers to the south of Camp Taji, Frank’s never been there.
Being stationed at Camp Taji has given Frank the opportunity to work closely with Iraqis. She said the camp is divided into American and Iraqi sections. The camp trains and houses members of the new Iraqi army.
Frank said U.S. Forces are working to get the Iraqis ‘prepared so that sooner or later, hopefully they’ll take over.?
On the cultural front, Frank said she’s noticed the Iraqi males? attitudes toward women have changed for the better. ‘They’ve become really respectful toward us,? she said.
‘It used to be females weren’t allowed to be in the same room as them,? Frank said. ‘You couldn’t talk to them or touch them.?
She said now they offer handshakes to women, bow their heads and say ‘thank you? a lot.
When they’re not working, she said the troops play a lot of sports like volleyball, softball and sometimes basketball. Out of respect for the Islamic religion, no alcohol is permitted on the base.
‘We get our highs making people laugh and smoking cigarettes,? Frank said. ‘That’s all we got.?
Frank said she’s especially glad to be home since she has ‘no clue? how long her service in Iraq will last.
She’s supposed to be stationed there for a year, but things can change.
‘We get to leave when they say, ‘Get on that plane. You’re going home,?? Frank said. ‘That’s all we know.?
Frank’s commitment to the Army is up in 2009, after which she plans to pursue a career in medicine.
If she stays in the army, Frank said she will request to be trained and work as medevac personnel, helping with patients who require air transport.