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4- ^t^LACKAMASPñflf May 25, 2005 Feature Young Progressives founder hits bumps in road to active club Elizabeth Tobey The Clackamas Print “I think that especially in com munity college, people have work and family and other things to do,” said Lisa Nowak, looking up from an empty table that should have held a bubbling Young Progressives meet ing; “Everyone says that the first year is always rally difficult with a new club,” said Nowak, a hor ticulture major at Clackamas, who started working to crate the Young Progressives club after the November elections. “I hadn’t been involved with poli tics much before. I attended a Howard Dean rally, got involved a little bit with Democracy for America, and then before the elections I volunteered with the John Kerry campaign.” “After the elections I felt like I needed to do something,” she said. “I was thinking that I wished there was a group I could get involved with, so I said ‘I guess I should start one.’” The mission of Young Progressives, as stated on their web site, is to promote understanding of the Michael McCormack The Clackamas Print From February to August of2003, a 23-year-old Clackamas student put his life on the line as a soldier for America, but more importantly, for the lives and freedoms of the people in Iraq. The following is from aninterview with the soldier, called "Johnson ” below to preserve anonymity. “The Iraqis were so scared of Saddam when we got there; they helped us get things we needed to bring down his regime. We estab lished great relationships with the people, and essentially we were there to liberate them,” said Johnson. Johnson and his Marine comrades were the first company into the coun try. They arrived in Kuwait City dur ing the worst dust storm of the year, and worse yet, they wouldn’t have showers built until four weeks later. They established camp in Kuwait, and in the fourth week the war started. The Kuwaiti people offered their help to the soldiers to act as interpreters once they got into Iraq. One Kuwaiti was assigned for each platoon. The first fight involved the Iraqi’s 54th regiment, which was not affili ated with Iraq’s Imperial Guard. “We knew the Iraqis’ morale was low, and we were ready to fight,” Johnson said. x The U.S. soldiers had 10 minutes until go time, but that time never came. Right when they dismounted from their vehicles to fight, Cobra Marine helicopters flew over the bat tleground and wiped out the Iraqis. “A lot of us were glad we hadn’t seen any real battle action, but some of us were pissed that there was no trigger time. The higher-ups were hyping us up for battle, but the Cobras were taking it all,” Johnson said. During their voyage through Iraq the worst thing that happened to them so far was a dust storm. At 11 a.m. the sky was a bright orange, and by 1 p.m. it was completely dark “That storm lasted four hours, and right after it ended a rain storm hit and we were forced to sleep in the mud,” Johnson said. The morning after the storm, “Good Morning America” was on location with tile Marines, but 10 minutes before they were to go on air, a call came in saying that there was a hot area and immediate attention was Shannon Armstead Clackamas Print (From Left) Young Progressives member Shad Downey works with and Lisa Nowak, the founder of the Young Progressives. American government and encourage young progressive students to vote, educate themselves about current events and become involved in the political process on a local, state and federal leveL “I wanted to create an environment for people to educate themselves, and talk about current issues in politics,” said Nowak. needed. The battle lasted four days, and at this time the Kuwaiti interpret ers were needed to tell the Iraqi people that any non-military personal needed to leave the city in two hours, because anyone who fired at the American troops would get shot. After this escapade, the troops set forth into Saddam’s City in northeast Baghdad. The first night was hell for the troops; they set up camp in the dark, and little did they know that they were sleeping on a medical dump. “We couldn’t see anything, but the stench was unbearable. There were flies like I have never seen before swarming all around us,” Johnson said. “We woke up the next morning and there were needles, medical sup plies and body parts right where we had slept; we all began to get sick” When the troops went into the city they had a huge firefight, and the civilians, carrying white flags and chanting “Bush No. 1,” were out watching the fight happen. Later that night the troops camped next to a river and were ambushed from across the way by the Imperial Guard, who were in a warehouse. This battle didn’t last very long, with the Marines blowing up the ware house, leaving only one Iraqi soldier alive. But the next day was going to be an interesting one for the troops. “We went into Baghdad the next morning with three trucks, three tanks and 35 men,” Johnson said. “We got hit like crazy from all angles; that city is like a maze, but we were able to hold them off.” On that day, Johnson and his com rades were Awarded a Presidential Citation Award; the first platoon to do so since Somalia in 1993. The company had one more fire fight in Baghdad before leaving the city for good. Their next stop would be in a city named Rumaytha. While in this city, no big fire fights took place, but the U.S. troops developed good relations with the Rumaytha civilians. Johnson said that between 70 and 80 percent of Iraqi people love Americans and George W. Bush. ‘We needed to be there for the people; Americans need to realize that Saddam had guns in schools. The place is just so fearful for the people, especially the women and children,” Johnson said. Johnson wants the war to end, he said, but not until we can ensure that the children, the future of that country, get the better life that they deserve. She worked with Associated Student Government to set up a new club and found social science instruc tor Alan Shackelford to be the advi sor. She spent winter break learning how to make the Young Progressives’ website and the club had its inaugural meeting in January. “ASG was rally pretty helpful and encouraging” Nowak said. “And for a while we had four to six regular people [at the meetings].” Discussion topics have ranged from social security, to politics and religion, the Howard Dean campaign for National Democratic committee chair, the anti-gay sentiment in recent initiatives, the war in general, and Evolution V’s intelligent design. “In the beginning there were sev eral enthusiastic ideas for fundraisers: benefit concerts, selling bumper stick ers and t-shirts,” she said. “I guess life just got in the way for a lot of people.” Meetings, held every Wednesday from noon to 1 p.m. in the Fireside Lounge, now consists of two loyal members and Nowak “I’m a little disenchanted right now,” she said, “because I put all this work into it” Although she will be graduating this spring, Nowak plans to attend Clackamas again in the fall to audit some political science classes. “So,” she said, “the opportunity is there to continue Young Progressives.” In ffie meantime, though, she is get ting more involved with Democracy for America, an organization that sup ports progressive candidates at all lev els of government She currently runs the Mil waua meetings that take place the Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m. at tin Pogy’s in Milwaukie. More informa tion on the Milwaukie Democracj for America is available at httpLdfa meetup.com/712. General informa tion about the organization can br found at http://www.demoamcyfoi'a merica.com. “Once I graduate, I want to pu more energy into getting peopl involved [with Young Progressives].’ said Nowak The experience, though a difficul one, has taught her a lot about runnim a club. “I think committing to other tasks with fundraisers and stuff, scar« people away,” she said. “I guess if; one thing to come up with ideas, anr another to make it happen.” “I think if it could really be moi of a discussion and support group j would attract more people,” Ncwal said. More information on the Yotm Progressives club is available www.youngprogressives.com. Nowak can be contacted webfoot-l@comcast.net. Twenty-three-year-old Clackamas student and Marine, “Johnson,” served his count™ by going to Iraq as a soldier from February to August of 2003. 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