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SUNNY Temp: 50 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Friday, October 3, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine Joy Magazine Tempo A & E RogueValleyAutoFinder RogueValleyHomeFinder Real Estate Showcase Wellness Connection Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Employment Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend September 30, 2003 Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Jacob Johnson was greeted by this sign when he came home to Central Point from a tour in Iraq: "We missed you Jacob! Thank God the Iraqis did too." The message was signed by his family Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell No place like home Southern Oregon servicemen back from Iraq say there’s nothing like the welcome company of family members and some good home cooking after the Mideast’s hardships By PAUL FATTIG Mail Tribune CENTRAL POINT — When Saturday morning dawns crisp and cold, Jacob Johnson plans to be among other deer hunters in the Southern Oregon mountains on opening day of rifle season. But there’ll be no complaints from him about the chill in the early fall air. He plans to soak it in. "That heat in Iraq was just excruciating — you drank as much water as you could and just tried to bear it," said the Marine Corps lance corporal home on leave after spending spring and summer in Iraq. Advertisement Johnson, 20, a 2001 graduate of Crater High School and the son of Wynter Thomas of Central Point, is a heavy equipment operator attached to the 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion based in Camp Lejeune, N.C. "For the first three months, all we got were jug showers, if you got a shower at all," he said. Friends and family didn’t mind: They erected a sign reading, "We missed you Jacob. Thank God the Iraqis did too." He is among several local residents wearing the globe-and-anchor uniform who are currently home on leave as many Marine Corps units return stateside from Iraq. Most are being replaced by Army and National Guard units. Like Johnson, fellow Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Johann Canjura, 19, the son of Manuel and Yolanda Canjura of White City, is happy to be home after a tour in Iraq. A 2001 graduate of Eagle Point High School, Canjura is an electrical engine repair specialist assigned to the 2nd Maintenance Battalion. "I didn’t see a lot of hostiles," Canjura said. "But the dust and the heat was real bad. You were always sweaty, tired. Then you’d get these 50 kids come out of nowhere asking for water." While he was eating dust, he thought a lot about home cooking back in the Rogue Valley. "Oh yea, my mom’s cooking — I really missed that," he said. "She makes these great pupusas — kind of like a tortilla stuffed with cheese and meat." The MREs don’t quite measure up to the pupusas, he said. "I just want to hang out with my family and friends for a while — and eat my mom’s cooking," Canjura said. Johnson, whose duties included digging trenches, guarding a prison and detonating unexploded ordnance, also missed home cooking. But he was invited by several Iraqi families to their homes for dinner. "When we were clearing farms of unexploded ordnance, several families invited us in for dinner," he said. "They served us meat, something they saved for honored guests. It was very good. "It was broiled chicken served with rice," he added. "At least I hope it was chicken. It was very good." In fact, Johnson, who served in Baghdad and Alhilla, a town about 50 miles south of Baghdad, says he found the Iraqis largely supportive of the U.S. occupation. "The (mental) picture I had of going into Iraq was that it was totally desolate and dry, with people hating us," he said. "What I saw when I got there was exactly the opposite. A lot of people were greeting us and saying ‘Thank you.’ "Only about 5 percent are supportive of Saddam, but they are the ones you hear about on the news," he added. One thing he plans to do while home is register to vote, something he is encouraging all people in the service to do. With the president serving as the commander-in-chief, it behooves those in uniform to vote, he explained. "The military is pretty much one of the last groups of people who haven’t yet come together as a voting force," he said. However, he elected not to say how he would vote. Neither Marine has orders to return to Iraq. Meanwhile, more than 600 members of the Oregon Army National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 262nd Infantry are being mobilized to go to Iraq. That unit is based in Cottage Grove but 125 members of the local Guard unit headquartered in Ashland have volunteered to join the 1-262. The citizen soldiers are expected to be deployed to Iraq this spring. Reach reporter Paul Fattig at 776-4496 or e-mail him at [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. 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