A Forest City soldier home on leave says it’s “weird” to be home. Nineteen-year-old Steve Jordahl has been back in Iowa on two weeks leave from his tour of duty in northern Iraq with the 101st Airborne. Coming home, he noticed the bright colors, grass, buildings, new cars, technology — details Jordal says you forget away from home. Even after the fun of driving Humvees in the desert, Jordal says driving civilian vehicles was nice. Jordal says he’s seen a land of contrasts while working to rebuild Iraq. Though there’s unbelievable wealth in the hands of a few there, he says hundreds of little “sand hut” villages in the desert are where the troops go to help people. He hopes the country can be brought up to speed via its schools, as he’s heard Saddam only allowed students to be taught what he wanted them to learn. Jordal doesn’t think the Iraqi people know how long it’s going to take and he’s concerned they’ll become impatient with occupation by armies, from either the US or other UN nations. He’s been “pretty much busy” with visits to friends and family, and doesn’t sit around watching the news much. Jordal returns soon and will hope to finish his one-year tour of Duty in March, then head back statewide for six months of “stabilization” at Fort Campbell.
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