The Boston College Chronicle

Rory McGovern '05: "In all of our training ‚ especially what we got in the ROTC classes at BC ‚ the emphasis was 'Always be flexible. Expect the unexpected,' If you learn that and take it to be the 'golden rule' you'll save yourself up for success."

'Expect the Unexpected'

On military duty in Iraq, Class of 2005 alumnus Rory McGovern shared his experiences via email with friends and family. But words and pictures, he says, can only tell part of the story.

By Reid Oslin
Staff Writer

Two years ago, Rory McGovern '05 was leading the good life of a Boston College senior: interesting and challenging classroom courses that topped off his political science degree; leisurely meals with friends at the time and location of choice; and weekends brimming with BC athletic contests and Boston social activities.

Today, Lt. Rory McGovern is an officer in the United States Army, leading a team of combat soldiers in Iraq. Each day he confronts responsibilities, trials and dangers far different from anything experienced by his classmates; his weekends have ceased to exist.

In April, McGovern, who grew up in Haverhill, Mass., returned to the United States for two weeks of "R&R" (rest and relaxation), a respite granted to all American soldiers at the approximate midpoint of their time in the combat theater. While on leave, McGovern spent time with his parents at their current home in Round Pond, Me., caught up on a lot of missed sleep, ate to his heart's content and even planned to see a Red Sox game in Fenway Park. He also stopped by the Boston College campus to share some of his stories and experiences with ROTC cadets.

Since his assignment to the Middle East last October, McGovern has sent a steady stream of emails to his friends and family back home, detailing the stories, fear, expectations, disappointments, pain and occasional humor that have marked his time in combat. McGovern recently agreed to share his emails and his experiences with Boston College Chronicle.

As a graduate of the University's Army ROTC program, McGovern was commissioned on May 22, 2005, the day before Boston College Commencement. Immediately after graduation, he served a brief tour at Fort Knox, Ky., before attending Army artillery school at Fort Sill, Okla. In January 2006, he was assigned to duty with the 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood, Texas. Last fall, the legendary "First Cav" ‚ which traces its military roots to the horsemounted soldiers of the Western plains ‚ was ordered to Iraq.

Oct. 29, 2006: Ever since my unit got its orders to deploy, I wondered what the night before leaving would feel like. I wondered if I would feel nervous and apprehensive, calm and confident, or anything in between. I've sort of felt a myriad of all of those, but as I sit here to write, all I feel is tired...

As an artillery officer, McGovern was assigned as a unit Fire Support Officer, typically advising the company commander on the employment of fire support systems such as artillery, close air and attack helicopter support. "On top of that, we have anything that is considered a 'battlefield effect,'" McGovern says. "That includes psychological operations, civil military operations, company-level intelligence operations and local diplomacy."

Oct. 31, 2006: I'm here in Kuwait with not a whole lot to do at the moment. That's a good thing because I know it'll change soon. ... I had to pick a couple of soldiers to load live ammunition in their weapons to either shoot the driver if he tried to get away from the convoy and kidnap us or shoot back if anyone decided to shoot at us on the way. That was certainly strange for me, but I suppose I'll have to get used to it.

"In all of our training ‚ especially what we got in the ROTC classes at BC ‚ the emphasis was 'Always be flexible. Expect the unexpected,'" McGovern recalls. "If you learn that and take it to be the 'golden rule' you'll save yourself up for success."

Nov. 11, 2006: I should tell you about the guys I have in my fire support team... PV2 Dore is a 24-year-old salt of the earth former welder from Maine. My fellow New Englander is a rabid Red Sox fan, Patriots fan and hater of the letter 'R'...He is a good soldier and is fiercely loyal, refusing to even entertain the idea of me going anywhere in Iraq without him right at my hip with a fully loaded machine gun...far and away my most important job is to take care of these guys while we're here and to put every ounce of effort I have into making sure they all get home in one piece.

"It's really an enormous lifestyle change going from college into the military," he says, "and then going from the military into a combat zone. It's a huge, huge culture shock."

Nov. 19, 2006: Hello from Baghdad! So, the neighborhood is fine. The neighbors on the other hand are not. They've been pretty ornery and keep shooting rockets and mortars at the camp most nights...It's strange adjusting to that and to living here in general. The sounds will take a while to get used to. The smells are taking some time to get used to as well. It just smells strange here. I'm going to be busy...I can expect to be conducting missions for anywhere from 4 to 16+ hours a day, 4-6 days a week...

"I've seen good things that I don't want to forget, like little kids trying to play soccer with us while we're trying to patrol. I've seen terrible things that I can't forget like the horribly gruesome aftermath of sectarian revenge killings," writes McGovern.

Nov. 26, 2006: I can't believe how much I've seen in a week. I've seen good things that I don't want to forget, like little kids trying to play soccer with us while we're trying to patrol. I've seen terrible things that I can't forget like the horribly gruesome aftermath of sectarian revenge killings...I've been served fresh homemade pita bread while sitting with and talking to a family of eight. I've also seen Iraqis who've looked at me with such icy cold stares and pure hatred and who have acted as though they'd gladly kill me on the spot if they had the chance... Every kid in our area knows some English... 'Hey, mista, give me chocolate' or 'Hey, mista, give me dollar'... Iraqi culture places lot of emphasis on politeness. In an effort to be polite, we at least try to say our greetings and farewells in Arabic. In an effort to be polite, they try to say them to us is English. So in the process of trying to be polite and find common ground by bridging the language gap, we still end up speaking different languages to each other. Go figure.

"I feel that there is a lot of support from normal, daytoday people at home," McGovern says. "I get a lot of responses to my emails." McGovern says that he has been fortunate to receive a number of "Hugs for Heroes" packages sent from the Boston College community that contain many hardtoget items such as toiletries, individual snacks and batteries. "They make a lot of people very happy," he says. "It's great to see things like that."

Dec. 3, 2006: As I write, I'm actually listening to some Christmas music by Nat King Cole that I put on my iPod recently. It's comforting and reminds me of home. Very recently, I was involved in a direct fight with insurgents. We had been out for about 7 hours and on our way back when we were ambushed by heavy and sustained machine gun and assault rifle fire...The whole thing was absolutely the scariest thing that has ever happened to me...I have a whole new confidence in my men, myself and my unit.

Dec. 17, 2006: I miss home and I miss all of you terribly. Of course I do get homesick. But we do take care of each other here.

Dec. 24, 2006: Merry Christmas to all of you. Thank you so much for all the emails, letters and packages that keep coming in. Your support means more to me than you know. Just after Christmas, McGovern suffered a bullet wound to his ankle during a firefight with insurgents. Although the wound was not lifethreatening, he was forced to spend a month doing desk duty in the unit headquarters while he recovered. "I got to the point where every time you sent your guys out without you, you would sit back like a nervous parent," he says, "even if you had other work to occupy yourself." During his recuperation, McGovern received numerous cards and letters from friends and teachers at Boston College. Included in this mail were notes of support and encouragement from Capt. Brett Tashiro, BC's professor of military science; Rev. Robert Farrell, SJ, McGovern's English teacher in his freshman and senior years; and University President William P. Leahy, SJ.

Dec. 31, 2006: I was shot a few days ago...The bullet went straight through my ankle, very luckily missing everything important. It cleared my achilles by about a millimeter... Instead, there is temporary pain, very reparable damage to tissue, minor ligaments and nerves and a lifelong story...I felt somebody start to apply direct pressure to the wound to stop the bleeding...Much to my surprise, it wasn't the medic or one of my soldiers, it was actually Mac, my Iraqi interpreter...

There was a doctor looking at the entry hole on the left and a nurse looking at the exit hole on the right...The nurse pulled out a tiny pen light to get a better look. She turned it on and put it right up to the hole. I actually saw the light hitting the tip of the nose of the doctor who was looking at the hole on the other side. Call me crazy, but I thought that was pretty cool.

"It's kind of funny," McGovern says, "they told us that ROTC is just an introduction. 'You'll learn the technical details of your trade later.' But the best preparation that I got for all of this was what Capt. Tashiro taught me about the basics of leadership and the basics of mission preparation.

"My formal Boston College education was pretty important too," he adds, "with what it taught me about analytical reasoning and consensus building. It had a far greater hand in preparing me for this that I would have given it credit for a couple of years ago."

March 11, 2007: We've been through our worst stretch of time since I've been here. Since I wrote last, we have lost 7 soldiers and 1 interpreter...We're all hurting. Those were great guys. We haven't even had the memorial yet, so if this email seems a little jumpy it's because I'm still dealing with it. I had to write this though, if for no other reason than to collect my thoughts as I'm getting ready to write to Mrs. Webb and Mrs. Rivera tomorrow...I hope for nothing more than to never have to write anything similar to this for the rest of the tour.

March 19, 2007: It's been a hard and a slow road so far. We've sacrificed greatly to get here and will undoubtedly continue to do so as we continue on, but it's good to see that in this area, we actually are making a difference and are moving in the right direction...

I will leave Iraq on Sunday...Once I touch down in the US, I will have two full weeks before I need to head back here. While it's going to be strange not carrying a rifle at all times or not to be scouring the roads for signs of bombs while half expecting the 'sign' to be another explosion, I think it'll be just what the doctor ordered.

Lt. McGovern has since returned to Iraq, where he expects to get a new assignment commanding an artillery platoon. His tour of duty, originally scheduled to end in November, has been extended until January. •


Home • About • Calendar • People • Forum • Archive	May 10, 2007 • Volume 15 Number 17
Rory McGovern '05: "In all of our training ‚ especially what we got in the ROTC classes at BC ‚ the emphasis was 'Always be flexible. Expect the unexpected,' If you learn that and take it to be the 'golden rule' you'll save yourself up for success." 'Expect the Unexpected' On military duty in Iraq, Class of 2005 alumnus Rory McGovern shared his experiences via email with friends and family. But words and pictures, he says, can only tell part of the story. By Reid Oslin Staff Writer Two years ago, Rory McGovern '05 was leading the good life of a Boston College senior: interesting and challenging classroom courses that topped off his political science degree; leisurely meals with friends at the time and location of choice; and weekends brimming with BC athletic contests and Boston social activities. Today, Lt. Rory McGovern is an officer in the United States Army, leading a team of combat soldiers in Iraq. Each day he confronts responsibilities, trials and dangers far different from anything experienced by his classmates; his weekends have ceased to exist. In April, McGovern, who grew up in Haverhill, Mass., returned to the United States for two weeks of "R&R" (rest and relaxation), a respite granted to all American soldiers at the approximate midpoint of their time in the combat theater. While on leave, McGovern spent time with his parents at their current home in Round Pond, Me., caught up on a lot of missed sleep, ate to his heart's content and even planned to see a Red Sox game in Fenway Park. He also stopped by the Boston College campus to share some of his stories and experiences with ROTC cadets. Since his assignment to the Middle East last October, McGovern has sent a steady stream of emails to his friends and family back home, detailing the stories, fear, expectations, disappointments, pain and occasional humor that have marked his time in combat. McGovern recently agreed to share his emails and his experiences with Boston College Chronicle. As a graduate of the University's Army ROTC program, McGovern was commissioned on May 22, 2005, the day before Boston College Commencement. Immediately after graduation, he served a brief tour at Fort Knox, Ky., before attending Army artillery school at Fort Sill, Okla. In January 2006, he was assigned to duty with the 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood, Texas. Last fall, the legendary "First Cav" ‚ which traces its military roots to the horsemounted soldiers of the Western plains ‚ was ordered to Iraq. Oct. 29, 2006: Ever since my unit got its orders to deploy, I wondered what the night before leaving would feel like. I wondered if I would feel nervous and apprehensive, calm and confident, or anything in between. I've sort of felt a myriad of all of those, but as I sit here to write, all I feel is tired... As an artillery officer, McGovern was assigned as a unit Fire Support Officer, typically advising the company commander on the employment of fire support systems such as artillery, close air and attack helicopter support. "On top of that, we have anything that is considered a 'battlefield effect,'" McGovern says. "That includes psychological operations, civil military operations, company-level intelligence operations and local diplomacy." Oct. 31, 2006: I'm here in Kuwait with not a whole lot to do at the moment. That's a good thing because I know it'll change soon. ... I had to pick a couple of soldiers to load live ammunition in their weapons to either shoot the driver if he tried to get away from the convoy and kidnap us or shoot back if anyone decided to shoot at us on the way. That was certainly strange for me, but I suppose I'll have to get used to it. "In all of our training ‚ especially what we got in the ROTC classes at BC ‚ the emphasis was 'Always be flexible. Expect the unexpected,'" McGovern recalls. "If you learn that and take it to be the 'golden rule' you'll save yourself up for success." Nov. 11, 2006: I should tell you about the guys I have in my fire support team... PV2 Dore is a 24-year-old salt of the earth former welder from Maine. My fellow New Englander is a rabid Red Sox fan, Patriots fan and hater of the letter 'R'...He is a good soldier and is fiercely loyal, refusing to even entertain the idea of me going anywhere in Iraq without him right at my hip with a fully loaded machine gun...far and away my most important job is to take care of these guys while we're here and to put every ounce of effort I have into making sure they all get home in one piece. "It's really an enormous lifestyle change going from college into the military," he says, "and then going from the military into a combat zone. It's a huge, huge culture shock." Nov. 19, 2006: Hello from Baghdad! So, the neighborhood is fine. The neighbors on the other hand are not. They've been pretty ornery and keep shooting rockets and mortars at the camp most nights...It's strange adjusting to that and to living here in general. The sounds will take a while to get used to. The smells are taking some time to get used to as well. It just smells strange here. I'm going to be busy...I can expect to be conducting missions for anywhere from 4 to 16+ hours a day, 4-6 days a week... "I've seen good things that I don't want to forget, like little kids trying to play soccer with us while we're trying to patrol. I've seen terrible things that I can't forget like the horribly gruesome aftermath of sectarian revenge killings," writes McGovern. Nov. 26, 2006: I can't believe how much I've seen in a week. I've seen good things that I don't want to forget, like little kids trying to play soccer with us while we're trying to patrol. I've seen terrible things that I can't forget like the horribly gruesome aftermath of sectarian revenge killings...I've been served fresh homemade pita bread while sitting with and talking to a family of eight. I've also seen Iraqis who've looked at me with such icy cold stares and pure hatred and who have acted as though they'd gladly kill me on the spot if they had the chance... Every kid in our area knows some English... 'Hey, mista, give me chocolate' or 'Hey, mista, give me dollar'... Iraqi culture places lot of emphasis on politeness. In an effort to be polite, we at least try to say our greetings and farewells in Arabic. In an effort to be polite, they try to say them to us is English. So in the process of trying to be polite and find common ground by bridging the language gap, we still end up speaking different languages to each other. Go figure. "I feel that there is a lot of support from normal, daytoday people at home," McGovern says. "I get a lot of responses to my emails." McGovern says that he has been fortunate to receive a number of "Hugs for Heroes" packages sent from the Boston College community that contain many hardtoget items such as toiletries, individual snacks and batteries. "They make a lot of people very happy," he says. "It's great to see things like that." Dec. 3, 2006: As I write, I'm actually listening to some Christmas music by Nat King Cole that I put on my iPod recently. It's comforting and reminds me of home. Very recently, I was involved in a direct fight with insurgents. We had been out for about 7 hours and on our way back when we were ambushed by heavy and sustained machine gun and assault rifle fire...The whole thing was absolutely the scariest thing that has ever happened to me...I have a whole new confidence in my men, myself and my unit. Dec. 17, 2006: I miss home and I miss all of you terribly. Of course I do get homesick. But we do take care of each other here. Dec. 24, 2006: Merry Christmas to all of you. Thank you so much for all the emails, letters and packages that keep coming in. Your support means more to me than you know. Just after Christmas, McGovern suffered a bullet wound to his ankle during a firefight with insurgents. Although the wound was not lifethreatening, he was forced to spend a month doing desk duty in the unit headquarters while he recovered. "I got to the point where every time you sent your guys out without you, you would sit back like a nervous parent," he says, "even if you had other work to occupy yourself." During his recuperation, McGovern received numerous cards and letters from friends and teachers at Boston College. Included in this mail were notes of support and encouragement from Capt. Brett Tashiro, BC's professor of military science; Rev. Robert Farrell, SJ, McGovern's English teacher in his freshman and senior years; and University President William P. Leahy, SJ. Dec. 31, 2006: I was shot a few days ago...The bullet went straight through my ankle, very luckily missing everything important. It cleared my achilles by about a millimeter... Instead, there is temporary pain, very reparable damage to tissue, minor ligaments and nerves and a lifelong story...I felt somebody start to apply direct pressure to the wound to stop the bleeding...Much to my surprise, it wasn't the medic or one of my soldiers, it was actually Mac, my Iraqi interpreter... There was a doctor looking at the entry hole on the left and a nurse looking at the exit hole on the right...The nurse pulled out a tiny pen light to get a better look. She turned it on and put it right up to the hole. I actually saw the light hitting the tip of the nose of the doctor who was looking at the hole on the other side. Call me crazy, but I thought that was pretty cool. "It's kind of funny," McGovern says, "they told us that ROTC is just an introduction. 'You'll learn the technical details of your trade later.' But the best preparation that I got for all of this was what Capt. Tashiro taught me about the basics of leadership and the basics of mission preparation. "My formal Boston College education was pretty important too," he adds, "with what it taught me about analytical reasoning and consensus building. It had a far greater hand in preparing me for this that I would have given it credit for a couple of years ago." March 11, 2007: We've been through our worst stretch of time since I've been here. Since I wrote last, we have lost 7 soldiers and 1 interpreter...We're all hurting. Those were great guys. We haven't even had the memorial yet, so if this email seems a little jumpy it's because I'm still dealing with it. I had to write this though, if for no other reason than to collect my thoughts as I'm getting ready to write to Mrs. Webb and Mrs. Rivera tomorrow...I hope for nothing more than to never have to write anything similar to this for the rest of the tour. March 19, 2007: It's been a hard and a slow road so far. We've sacrificed greatly to get here and will undoubtedly continue to do so as we continue on, but it's good to see that in this area, we actually are making a difference and are moving in the right direction... I will leave Iraq on Sunday...Once I touch down in the US, I will have two full weeks before I need to head back here. While it's going to be strange not carrying a rifle at all times or not to be scouring the roads for signs of bombs while half expecting the 'sign' to be another explosion, I think it'll be just what the doctor ordered. Lt. McGovern has since returned to Iraq, where he expects to get a new assignment commanding an artillery platoon. His tour of duty, originally scheduled to end in November, has been extended until January. •
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Home • About • Calendar • People • Forum • Archive

May 10, 2007 • Volume 15 Number 17

'Expect the Unexpected'

On military duty in Iraq, Class of 2005 alumnus Rory McGovern shared his experiences via email with friends and family. But words and pictures, he says, can only tell part of the story.

By Reid Oslin Staff Writer

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By Reid Oslin
Staff Writer