Joining the military was something Lowell McCarty had always wanted to do. He had seen plenty of movies and tv shows and just knew that he wanted to be in the military in some capacity someday.
He decided to start out slowly when he was first joining so that he could make sure that it was really what he wanted.
“As a child, I always looked up to people who were soldiers and served the country,” proclaimed Lowell. “I’d watch it on tv and watch a lot of westerns and stuff. It’s just something I always wanted to do. I’ll never forget the day I actually went to join, and I took the test. I did real well on the test, and I got up and did the pledge to the service. It was a very inspirational moment for me. It’s one that I was very proud of because it was something I’d always wanted to do, and I found myself doing it. I joined the Quitman Mississippi Army National Guard, which was the 786 transportation at that time. I didn’t join the Army, Air Force, Marines, or Navy per se because even though I was sure I wanted to serve, I wasn’t sure I wanted to do full time. I felt like if I tried it on a part time basis, then maybe I would move up later and do it full time. I ended up staying in the Army National Guard for 20 years.”
When they got the news that they were being deployed for Desert Shield and Desert Storm, he thought that he would go over and prove that war doesn’t change people. He had no idea that he was about to learn the harsh truth.
“I also remember how when I was a child I would think about how I would go places and see people and that they would always say that a person who is involved in a war always comes back different. To me, that just didn’t add up or make any sense,” declared Lowell. “After serving through Desert Storm and Desert Shield, I understood what they meant. Once you’ve been in a combat situation, you’re never the same. I remember the day they called and told us we were going across the water and that they were activating the National Guard to serve in Desert Storm and Desert Shield. I was very proud because I knew during my military career here in Quitman I had become an instructor because I wanted to be sure that I was on top of everything. I was one of the instructors that taught the unit on what we had to do or know in case of a chemical attack or war. I felt proud of myself because I felt like I had taught everything that was taught to me and that I was prepared to go into war. Once you step foot on that ground, it’s a different feeling. It changes completely because once I stepped foot on that ground, it was no longer training and being prepared. It was real. I realized that it could be my last day and that I may not make it home.”
It wasn’t completely what he had anticipated. He was aware of the danger his job posed, and the experience definitely taught him a lesson about whether or not war changes people.
“It was not as bad as I thought it would be, but you see a lot of things during war time,” remembered Lowell. “We were hauling fuel, so to me it was like driving a bomb. If you have gasoline, diesel fuel, or jet fuel, all it takes is one stray shot, and you’re just a bomb. When the ground war started, I’ll never forget the convoys. I could stand on top of my truck and as far in front of me as I could see and as far behind me as I could see were nothing but vehicles. I knew we were headed into enemy territory. When we originally started advancing, we were told it would be a short trip for us because we had older trucks, so we were supposed to go halfway, unload, and come back. Because we were advancing so fast, we ended up following the troops deep into Iraqi territory. Driving down the road was different for me because my opinion on how war works before that was you’re shooting at somebody while they shoot back at you. In reality, with the new technology you aren’t doing that. We were riding down the road with choppers flying around us. You may see something blow up further out from you that was a threat to you. On one hand, I felt secure. On the other, those guys were shooting from a distance and I couldn’t even see it coming. If the choppers or someone else didn’t see them, I was just a bomb. Most of our driving was done at night because we knew the enemy wanted us and if given a clear chance wouldn’t hesitate to take us out. I made it through and was glad I joined. It really was an experience for me. I went in to prove people wrong because I didn’t think war changed people, but I do know now that war changes people. If asked to do it again, I would do it all over again.”
Along with the convoys, he will never forget his experience the first day they arrived in the war zone.
“I will never forget that the first day we got there, it became dark after a couple of hours and we were still at the airport,” recalled Lowell. “All the lights went out, alarms went off, and patriots took off. I was standing there with the rest of my platoon, and all of a sudden we had to get our mop suit on for protection. We had guns but no ammunition, and even if we did have ammunition, bullets weren’t going to do any good against a missile. The first day there and it was so dark that you couldn’t see right in front of you, and we were putting our mop suits on quickly like we were trained to do. I found myself helping others put their suits on because we really weren’t expecting a missile the first day we got there. It seemed like those missiles would come every night until we actually got into the field. We couldn’t take a shower or do anything without our mop suits close to us because we never knew when a missile would be fired. A lot of times the missiles would explode over our warehouse that we originally stayed in when we first got there. There was a group that came after us when we left that warehouse, and that warehouse ended up blowing up. If we had been there just two more weeks it could have been us, but we had already moved out to the fields.”
By the time they returned from deployment, he had to resettle into life as a civilian and learn how to better cope with the experience he had in a combat zone.
“The first thing I did when we first came back was become a workaholic because I didn’t want to think about the things that I had seen and happened over there. I worked overtime and on my days off. As my body wore down, I realized I couldn’t work so much. That was when I started dealing with flashbacks,” explained Lowell. “The main thing I learned is that you can’t do it on your own. All my life I’ve been told that since you’re a guy you should just suck it up because you can handle anything put before you. I realized that seeking help for mental health and group therapy with veterans helps keep veterans level and get them back where they need to be. I had no idea how much I was actually going through until I started going to the groups and saw a mental health therapist who helped me realize that what I was feeling was normal for a person who experienced what I have. Even if veterans don’t seek a therapist for mental health, they should go do some group therapy because it makes a world of difference.”
Even through his experience, he is proud of how he served and would still encourage others to serve in the military as well.
“Don’t be afraid if you want to serve in the military,” advised Lowell. “I know you hear a lot of crazy things about it, and different branches offer better benefits than others. If it is something you want to do, then I recommend you do it. It was one of the proudest days of my life when I was accepted into the military. I was even proud when we were told we would be going across the water because I knew it was what I signed up to do if needed. Just follow your heart and do what you believe is best because you don’t want to have regrets when you get old. If it’s something you want to do, then just try it out and see.”
He and his platoon were blessed to all make it home safely from the war, and the sacrifice they made will never be forgotten.
