Another of Oxford’s sons has returned safely from the war in Iraq, and he’s extremely grateful for all the support he received from the home-front.
‘I got a lot of packages and I’d like to thank everybody for that,? said Sgt. Charlie Myer, a 2001 Oxford High graduate. ‘It was amazing how much I got. It had to be a record.?
Myer, 25, came home Dec. 21 following an 11-month tour in Iraq where he was stationed at Camp Cropper, located inside the Victory Base Complex in Baghdad.
Attached to the 138th Fires (Field Artillery) Brigade with the Kentucky National Guard, Myer helped guard Camp Cropper, a military-run maximum-security detention facility.
Given his previous tours in Iraq (May 2004-July 2005) and Afghanistan (May-November 2003) were spent going on missions, doing patrols and conducting raids, Myer said this time around things were ‘relaxed.?
‘Twelve (hours) on, 12 off every day for 11 months. That was pretty much it,? he said. ‘There was nothing to worry about, ever. It was boring.?
Myer, who enlisted in the Army in 2002, said he would have much rather been back with his old unit, the 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment (Polar Bears) out of Fort Drum, New York.
These were the guys Myer had been with through thick and thin during his first two tours. ‘It’s a great group of guys,? he said. ‘We’d been together forever, well, it seemed like forever.?
Myer felt bad about not being able to be there for his old buddies.
‘They were getting hit pretty hard throughout the whole deployment,? he said. ‘I wished I could have been back with them for it.?
Coincidentally, Myer’s old infantry unit is the same one in which PFC Byron W. Fouty, who spent part of his childhood in Oxford and attended Clear Lake Elementary, was serving when he went missing following a May 12, 2006 ambush by insurgents.
Due to timing, the two never met in Iraq.
‘I got out before he got in, so I didn’t know him.? Myer said.
News of Fouty’s disappearance and coupled with wanting to be there for his old unit took its toll on Myer.
‘I took it hard for about a month,? he said. ‘I tried like hell to get back into my old unit . . . I called all kinds of people, but there was nothing that could be done.?
Myer wants everyone to keep Fouty in their prayers. ‘I hope everything turns out all right for him,? he said.
All the support he received from home really meant a lot to Myer, from the packages sent by the Oxford Women’s Social Club and American Legion Post 108 to all the stuff mailed by his ‘good buddy? Eric Ghiaciuc, a 2000 OHS graduate who now plays pro football for the Cincinnati Bengals.
‘He sent all kinds of stuff,? Myer said. ‘The whole team put a bunch of stuff together and sent five huge boxes.?
The Bengals sent warm-up gear, sweat shirts, jackets, pants, hats, footballs, old game tapes and films, and even Nintendo PlayStations complete with games and accessories.
‘I didn’t expect that at all,? Myer said. ‘It meant a lot.?
Myer said people have no idea how much letters and packages from home mean to all the soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. That’s why he did his best to give people back home the names and addresses of soldiers who didn’t receive mail. ‘There’s a lot of guys that don’t get mail,? he said.
Once they started receiving packages, Myer said, ‘Those guys were so happy.?
‘It would just brighten their day,? he said.
Myer was appreciative of Oxford resident Pam Phelps? placement of yellow signs along W. Drahner Rd. honoring him and other local soldiers.
He also wished to give special thanks to his sister Aileen, a 2002 OHS graduate, ‘for all her support.?
Although he remains eligible for another two years to be called up for active duty, Myer’s focused on building his future here in Oxford.
He’s currently an assistant coach for Oxford’s varsity wrestling team. Myer’s planning to join the Oxford Fire Department as a paid-on-call member while attending the Fire Academy at Oakland Community College.
Readjusting to civilian life hasn’t been an issue for Myer. ‘If you’ve got good family and friends, you’re adjusted in two seconds, as soon as you see them,? he said. ‘They make you feel like you never were gone.?
Myer’s glad everyone’s so happy he’s home, but he hopes people will ‘remember that there’s still soldiers over there and soldiers missing.?
‘Don’t forget about them,? he said.