Special Report

Sgt. Chuck Perkins believes his tour in Iraq taught him the importance of family and service.

Perkins, 30, a combat medic in the 161st Area Support Medical Battalion in Mobile, was separated from his wife, Stephanie, and his two young sons, Trey and Eli, for 16 months. Yet, he said, time away from family allowed him to truly appreciate them and his home.

“I have a better outlook on life, on our country, on what it means to be to be a U.S. citizen,” he said. “I believed in what we were doing. It was a positive experience.”

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During his time in Iraq, Perkins said he worked in a predominantly Shi’ite community and ran a medical clinic for a U.S. military police battalion.

He provided medical care for soldiers but was also able to work closely with Iraqis, trading medical care for intelligence.

Seeing the oppression in Iraq gave him a sense of purpose during his deployment, he said.

Perkins returned from overseas in April 2004, and he said he often thinks about his friends left in Iraq. There is a nagging frustration, even depression at times, because he cannot be with them and keep them safe.

“I guess it is a survivor’s guilt,” he said. “A part of me is still over there.”