Jon Rascher had much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving’a new, healthy son and homecooking among them. His family is thankful, too’that he is safe and at home, for the first time in nine months.
Rascher, a 2002 Brandon High School graduate, was greeted at Flint-Bishop Airport last Sunday by friends and family waving flags and banners. They were celebrating his return on a two-week leave from Afghanistan, where the Army 1st lieutenant has been deployed since March. ‘It was overwhelming,? said Rascher of the homecoming, in which he met his nearly 3-week-old son, Chipper James, for the first time. Rascher has been married to Natalie, also a 2002 Brandon High School graduate, for two-and-a-half years and they also have a daughter, Mary, 21-months.
‘I’m thankful for a healthy baby,? said Rascher. ‘Over there (in Afghanistan) I’m constantly thankful for all the love and support and prayers from friends and family.? Rascher, 24, says he always wanted to be in the Army. He was in the Army ROTC for four years while attending Carson Newman College in Tennessee. He earned a bachelor’s degree in history, enlisted for active duty, was commissioned as an officer and married all within a 2-week span two years ago. He deployed with the Fort Campbell 101st Airborne Division to the city of Kandahar in southern Afghanistan in March. He currently serves in Paktika, an eastern region in the country, near Pakistan. Rascher is second in command for a 220-man air assault rifle company and during the commander’s absence, he is in charge. He is also primarily responsible for logistical support and tracking and maintaining the company’s property. Rascher describes himself and his comrades as ‘the tip of the spear.? Attacks come in spurts from insurgents and there is no typical day. It ranges from meeting with local leadership, police chiefs, the Afghan Army, and border patrol to build on their partnership, to conducting patrols in their sector.
‘A big focus is helping them prepare for the upcoming elections early next year and working on projects to improve their community, including running water, wells, and irrigation systems,? Rascher said.
‘They are subject to flash floods, so we help build flood walls.?
The things they are helping with are things we take for granted in the United States, Rascher says, and adds that it is important to remember that Afghanistan is different than Iraq. The people are different, he said, with a tribal-based culture focused on family and religion.
‘The Afghan people have an honor code, called pashtun wali, based on receiving guests into their home,? he explains. ‘They take on the burden of protecting us and providing for us. A lot of people in America can’t separate that not everyone in Afghanistan are insurgents. Many are just people trying to get by day-to-day. In my experience, they appreciate what we are trying to do for them.?
His service in the poverty-stricken country has also given him a new appreciation for things often taken for granted in the U.S. Afghanis spend summers without air conditioning and winters without heat, for example, he said. ‘On a personal level, we Americans have such a sense of entitlement, and seeing the way they live makes you realize how many little things we take for granted,? said Rascher. ‘Seeing poverty and what it takes for them to get through life makes you realize how good we really have it.?
Still, Rascher notes there is a lot of progress being made in Afghanistan, as their government and the U.S. strengthen their partnership. Rascher didn’t want to speculate on what direction the military will take in Afghanistan and Iraq when President-elect Barack Obama is inaugurated in January, but he is on orders for a 15-month deployment and won’t return to the U.S. until June. His commitment to the Army is up in May 2010 and he is unsure whether he will make the Army a career. For now, he is just enjoying his short reprieve.
‘The best thing about being home is being with my family’being able to hold my son and my daughter and my wife,? he said. Natalie is just glad he is able to hold them. ‘I’m thankful he’s here and made it back safe and gets to spend Thanksgiving with us,? she said.