Tom Lowry

@misc{lowrynd,
  title = {Tom Lowry},
  keywords = {3rd Battalion 5th Marines, AK47, Camp Pendleton, Civilian Life, Doctor Biddle, Fallujah, HELO Company LAV vehicles, M16 A1, M16 A2, M249 SAW, Parris Island, South Carolina, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Saddam Hussein, School of Infantry September 11th, Squad Automatic Weapon (SAW), Suicide Bomber, United States Marine Corps, Walter Reid Hospital, Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs)},
  abstract = {Tom Lowry (1981-2014) joined the Marine Corps in 2000 and, after completing basic training, attended the School of Infantry. In the wake of September 11th, he was assigned to the 3rd Battalion 5th Marines and was deployed to Kuwait and then to Fallujah. He sustained multiple injuries while deployed including being shot four times in the chest and once in the back, being knifed in the chest, being shot in the thigh, suffering an extreme concussion and being injured in the face. Lowry notes that a lot of veterans need help when returning home but many are too proud to ask for it.Interviewee Unit/Title3rd Battalion 5th Marines Years Active2000-2004EnlistmentTom Lowry was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on July 3, 1981. His father was a roofer and the family moved around quite a bit. He ultimately graduated from Williamstown High School in New Jersey. Lowry had a difficult childhood and was inspired to join the United States Marine Corps after a cousin attempted to and failed. In anticipation of joining, Lowry shaved his head and practiced speaking in the third person so that he would be prepared for boot camp. He joined the Marines in 2000 after graduating from high school since the Marines require all entering recruits possess a high school diploma. Lowry was already in the Marines when the events of September 11th transpired. He learned of the attacks when he returned from physical training and saw it on the television. He remembers that his first thought was that it had to be fake and his second thought was that he would be going to war.TrainingLowry describes boot camp as a very difficult experience even though he was in excellent shape from having placed Defensive End and Center on his high school’s conference winning football team. He attended boot camp at Parris Island, SC and describes it as “swamp hot.” The heat made training difficult, as did the constant yelling of the drill sergeants at the recruits. The name-calling was designed to help the recruits acclimate to the Marines and that he found everyone willing to help if needed. Upon completing boot camp, Lowry attended the School of Infantry where he learned to use a variety of weapons including the M249 SAW, the M16 A2, the M16 A1 and the AK47. He also learned how to tell the guns apart based on sound that would prove useful when he was in the field. Prior to joining the Marines, Lowry had shot guns but never went hunting. Working with the guns was easier than boot camp that Lowry describes as being scary since the threat of being held back was very real. He says supervising officers did physically abuse recruits and that they brainwashed you so that when you finally got a compliment you felt great. He describes the experience as being like the film Full Metal Jacket.DeploymentLowry’s first deployment to the Middle East came as a result of September 11th when his unit was immediately ordered to pack up and be ready for inspection. The deployment was difficult. He remembers having to pack a loofah because rags carry bacteria and being unable to change his socks for two weeks during which the skin attached to the fabric. Upon arriving, all units pulled into Kuwait first. His unit was told that they were there because Saddam Hussein possessed Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs). Upon arriving, they found traces of radiation and it was possible to tell that trucks had recently been moved. Lowry was a part of the 3rd Battalion 5th Marines. His role was of Sergeant where he was in charge of fifteen men. They were trained to stagger their lines for safety and to be vigilant against trip wires and filled out holes. It was important to stay focused on your task. For transportation, his unit relied upon HELO Company LAV vehicles that could be used on land and in water. This vehicle was also equipped with firing capabilities. After every eight round that were fired, a tracer round would be released to help the unit tell from which direction the firing was coming. It was difficult to fight because the enemy wasn’t trained in war. Many were there because their families had been stolen and they were told to fight or never see their loved ones again. Lowry’s primary weapon was a Squad Automatic Weapon (SAW). While heavy at first, it soon became a natural extension of his body. He carried four drums that had approximately 1,000 rounds. He liked the SAW because of its significant shooting distance. This gun is used mainly for suppression fire to keep the enemy’s head down so that your unit can keep moving forward. He says the Marines do a great job of training Marines for this type of gunfire exchange, especially at Camp Pendleton that is often referred to as “The Backyard.” Lowry’s unit moved north up into Fallujah that was a place with a lot of problems. After the Marines secured the area, the Army came in and set up tables to hand out money to the citizens. But the situation was corrupt almost from the start and became riddled with gangsters. He found it a difficult role to act as a police officer when they’d be trained to specifically come in and take out the bad guys. Fallujah was especially dangerous because women and children were just as dangerous as the men. He remembers one woman who pretended to be pregnant and when five men ran up to help her, she set off a bomb killing all of them. This suicide bombing occurred on April 10, 2003. Fighting in the desert as a big change for the Marines. They lacked the manpower and their vehicles were still covered in tarps making them particularly vulnerable. At one point, they had to create a checkpoint by moving sandbags that were so heavy they required multiple men to lift them. When they first arrived, Lowry felt like it was a 70/30 split with the majority of the people happy to see the United States military there. By the time he left, he says that split was reversed likely owing to how drastically their presence had altered life for the Iraqi citizens. Marines were given a code on how to treat Iraqi civilians and wore bracelets with key words inscribed on them such as “please,” “thank you,” and “drop your weapon.” he remembers one instance in which women, some of whom were pregnant, were lined up in a row. As they advanced, the men shot from behind them so that the Marines were forced to fire upon them. Lowry notes that the Marines do not take warning shots unlike the Army. The advancing line was told to stop in multiple languages and he says you could see in their eyes that they were ready to die. They tried their best to not shoot the children but sometimes it was unavoidable. Lowry suffers from nightmares and notes that people aren’t like light switches who can be turned on and off. Lowry’s first injury was sustained as a result of a suicide bomber. They were filling sand bags and he didn’t have time to react with gunfire after noticing someone approaching dressed in all white and combat boots. He says he was lucky because the way the suicide bomber approached him meant that he didn’t receive the full impact of the blast. His friend, Doctor Biddle, was also injured severely but survived. Lowry says that he suffers from a lot of survivor’s guilt. His injuries include being shot four times in the chest and once in the back, being knifed in the chest, being shot in the thigh, suffering an extreme concussion and being injured in the face. He kept going back because he got to know the families of the people still over there fighting. At first, Lowry believed they were doing well but the chain of command soon became a problem, as did the fight for oil control. He believes Saddam Hussein was an evil man guilty of mass genocide and that going after him was the right decision. In addition to being injured, Lowry also got a staph infection as well as a mercer infection. When he got to Walter Reid they declared him well but he still didn’t feel right so he went to a public hospital where they discovered his infection. He waited for four hours in a cleared out room while the doctors got permission from the Marines to work on him. He was able to keep his leg but occasionally suffers from drop foot.Coming HomeLowry is proud of his country but not necessarily proud of the things he had to do in the war. He says that the media portrays it like war is a movie when war is actually about death. One decision he has made is to not take any medication for his nightmares and says that time and talking about his experiences is helping him. He also notes that a lot of veterans need help when returning home but many are too proud to ask for it. Lowry wonders where his life would have wound up had he not made the decision to enter the Marines. Life at war was a challenge and Lowry says baby wipes are a Marines best friend for helping to stay clean. There was no alcohol available officially but they did figure out a way to make alcohol by adding yeast to grape juice that converted it into 70 proof alcohol. Lowry tried the concoction and while he did get a buzz it also gave him the worst hangover of his life. Smoking and especially dip were commonplace amongst Marines. Money didn’t matter much to them in the field but bartering for things such as underwear and socks was common. Sunblock was the thing most sought after by Marines. He still communicates with the men with which he served using Facebook as his main means of staying in touch. He recently deleted his page though after getting unkind comments about him wearing his uniform in photos. Many of the patches he has on his uniform he bought at Rolling Thunder. Lowry says he would tell his son not to go into the military because it is such a difficult life. He says that while deployed he made the decision not to read any letters from home so that he would stay focused on his task. If his son did decide to join the military, he would push for the Coast guard or Air Force over the Marines. He has many regrets and hopes that God won’t punish him too harshly. There is currently a base in Iraq equipped with a tennis court and a swimming pool, which Lowry thinks, indicates that the Marines are in it for the long haul in Iraq. He understands why the Iraqi people are mad but thinks blaming the Marines is wrong since they are following the orders of their commanders and failure to do so will result in their being court marshaled. Out of the 80 men in Lowry’s class, only 30 graduated. He notes that the drug detection capabilities of the Marines are first rate and that it can detect even minute traces of drugs. The Marines had the policy of expelling anyone caught using drugs even if they were almost done with the program. Those expelled would be told to get their clothes and would be given a bus ticket home.},
  language = {English},
}