Spc. Randall Scott Woods of Warrior hammers a post into the ground while setting up concertina wire around their temporary combat outpost in Rathwaniyah on April 29.

By Adam Smith

The North Jefferson News



On Monday, Americans celebrated Memorial Day and paused to remember the sacrifices made by fighting men and women since the inception of our country.

In the Middle East, soldiers stationed in Iraq took time to honor the soldiers who came before them, but it was also just business as usual.

One of those soldiers, Spc. Randall Woods, said he and his fellow troops “pretty much just hung out and worked.”

Spc. Woods, 26, of Warrior was deployed in Oct. 2007 from Fort Campbell, Ky. He is now stationed at Camp Liberty in Baghdad, Iraq.

Woods is a cannon crew member and artilleryman in the 3rd Platoon, Battery B, 1st Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team of the 101st Airborne Division. His job is to provide security on and around Camp Liberty, but he also has important work to do in the field.

“I’m a truck driver and I make sure everything is loaded up before we head out on missions and make sure everyone’s doing what they’re supposed to be doing,” Woods said.

Spc. Woods graduated from McAdory High School in 2000. As a junior, he enlisted in the Army Reserves where he stayed for eight years. After that time, he decided he wanted to join the U.S. Army full-time.

His father and grandfather also served in the army.

He said the hardest thing about leaving home and heading to the Middle East was leaving behind his family, which includes wife, April, and sons 3-year-old Ethan and 1-year-old Ian. He and April have been married for three years.

He said it’s been tough on his family, too, but they have been supported of his decision. He said his time spent in the desert is made easier with regular phone calls home.

“She [April] knew it was a possibility that I would be in Iraq when I re-enlisted for active duty,” he said. “She said she was with me, whatever I wanted to do. I have a supportive wife, so that makes a lot of things real easy.”

Woods said about 3,000 troops serve in his brigade and about 500 in his battalion. The self-described “hermit” that enjoys working out and watching movies, said he hasn’t met any locals yet, but he’s met a lot of troops with Alabama connections.

“There’s been a lot of good times and we joke and try to keep each other sane,” said Woods of his fellow troops. “We try to keep from going stir crazy and just keep it simple.”

He said he hasn’t faced any direct combat situations, but he’s well aware of the dangers that exist in the turbulent country. He said he was more comfortable in his environment than when he first arrived, but he didn’t want to get too complacent. “That’s when something crazy happens,” he said.

He also said he knew of the divides that the war has created on his home soil, but said despite the negative attention, much good is being done.

“We’re working with water treatment and making sure they have plenty to drink,” he said. “We also help people that need medical attention and we provide security.”

Woods said he still hadn’t got use to the language barrier and has found the Iraqi children often speak much better English than the adults. He said soldiers regularly give children to the candy or the contents of care packages they receive from home.

“For the most part, we haven’t been able to talk to the grown-ups,” he said. “The kids will talk to you long enough to get something from you.”

He said he will be in Iraq about six more months and looks forward to returning home. He said keeping in contact with his family will help ease the transition between the war zone and comforts of home.

Woods said while some of his fellow troops rely on their faith to get them through the stress of day-to-day life in Iraq, he leans on the comfort of seeing his family again.

“I’ve never been a religious kind of guy, but everybody has their thing,” he said. “I just tell them ‘I take it one day at a time,’ and just get that much closer to coming home.”

He said he plans on staying in the military 20 to 25 years until he can retire. He said he enjoyed Fort Campbell and said his wife appreciated the opportunity to travel.

Woods said he realizes that he may have to return to Iraq after coming home, but said it’s just part of the job.

“It’s not a question of being willing,” he said. “If they tell me to go, I’ll go. It’s really not too terrible. The conditions are good and there are plenty of chances to exercise and get into shape.”