Belfast man glad to spend this July 4 in U.S.

BELFAST – As a career soldier stationed in hot spots around the globe, Army Sgt. 1st Class Richard “Bubba” Pomeroy Jr. knows sacrifice firsthand and says he believes firmly in the meaning of the Fourth of July.

“It means that the people who came before me deserve our honor,” Pomeroy said Tuesday. “What I go through, they went through before me. All the way back to the beginning of our country – when you sit back and look at the flag, you look at freedom.”

Pomeroy, 34, is a member of the Army’s 10th Mountain Division and has seen action in Bosnia, Kosovo, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Iraq. He was home visiting his parents, Richard and Crystal Pomeroy, and family members for the holiday. He is scheduled to return to Iraq this fall.

Pomeroy joined the National Guard at 19 and the full-time Army in 1995. His company is in charge of forward supply, and he heads Tiger Teams that clear forward areas for advancing troops.

Pomeroy and his wife, Aneke, are both graduates of Belfast Area High School and have numerous relatives in the area.

They have four children, Amanda, 18, Rickie, 17, Whitney, 14, and Riley, 12. The couple also has two foster children, Lederrick 4, and Quentin, 3, whom they are adopting.

“Watching your kids grow up from afar, that’s the hard part,” he said. He said Tuesday it was great to be home “because you get that relaxation and to get away from the stress of work.”

“I played golf with my father this morning, and when the owner of the course found I’d served in Iraq, let me play for free. That may be a small gesture to some, but it’s everything to the soldier. You kind of pick your chest up a little harder because people understand the risk you take.”

Pomeroy understands that not everyone supports the U.S. war in Iraq and said he was prepared to defend their right to do so. He said he finds it difficult to understand how someone who has never experienced a combat mission would feel the need to criticize.

He said he has lost not only fellow soldiers in combat but also a civilian worker he became close to during his last tour of duty.

“He didn’t have to go over there, but he wanted to, and that’s what he loved. A medical condition kept him out of the Army, so he volunteered for a civilian job,” he said. “He laid down the ultimate sacrifice for his country. On this Fourth of July, that’s what we remember. And you don’t have to be in the Army to serve your country. You can do it right here.”

Pomeroy recalled being in Iraq at the time of its recent elections.

“That was awesome to see them vote and to see their reaction to something that we take for granted but they never had before,” he said. “The majority of the people want us there because they know we bring stability. We’re not there to cause problems. We’re there to keep them safe.”

Pomeroy said his unit is preparing for another tour of duty in Iraq in October.

He said that while the soldiers are trained for any experience, the one thing they never get used to is leaving their families.

“Tomorrow is not promised,” he said. “Going to Iraq is easy. Doing what you need to get done in Iraq is easy. Leaving your family, that’s hard,” he said.