Iraq-Bound, Without Reservations

The Marines already are saying their goodbyes. The 4th Civil Affairs Group, a reserve unit based in Washington, is leaving for Iraq -- again.

Lance Cpl. Norman Tompkins Jr., 26, knows the drill by now. This will be his third trip to Iraq in four years. He has taken leave from his jobs as a fire alarm inspector and volunteer firefighter and loaded his iPod with 4,500 songs.

Cpl. Jennifer McNamara, 30, is double-checking her "Gucci gear" -- the upgraded boots and other equipment her husband urged her to buy. Todd McNamara was in Iraq last year as a member of the Navy Reserve. This time, he will be the one waiting for a military spouse to come home.

Staff Sgt. Paul Abila, 39, is trying to spend time with his eight children, ages 2 to 12. They will grow a lot in the months he is gone. The older girls already seem so serious and mature.

"They have asked me everything from am I going to shoot anybody to is somebody going to shoot me," Abila said. "And I tell them, 'Now if I have to kill somebody just so that I can stay alive, you understand that's part of what I have to do, as being a Marine?' "

There is no easy way to do this, to leave behind family and friends and careers, the comfort of soft beds and nonperilous routines, to enter a conflicted land where peace seems elusive. This will be the third deployment to Iraq for the unit, which is pulling out in a few days, but for most of its 200 or so members, it will be their first or second deployment.

Although trained for combat, the 4th CAG is charged with helping the civilian population. About a third of its members are residents of the D.C. area -- police officers, computer technicians, federal employees. The unit's operations officer, Lt. Col. David Bunn, is a lawyer; its executive officer, Col. Erik Grabowsky, is Arlington County's chief of solid waste. They are leaving from the Anacostia Naval Station, where they are based, expecting to be gone a year.

With each deployment of the 4th CAG, the dangers in Iraq have increased. Even as this unit and others are being asked to shoulder a mission that carries a soaring amount of risk, top U.S. military leaders are telling Congress that they fear Iraq is sliding into civil war. Even as many here at home are wondering if the sacrifice has been worthwhile, these Marines speak earnestly of their patriotism and duty as they prepare to say goodbye to everything they love.

"More than anything else, if there's anything I'd like people to know, we would certainly love their support," said Col. Mario LaPaix, the unit's commanding officer. "We would want people to know that Marines have always gone in harm's way to do what has to be done for America. We would like their prayers and, hopefully, their well wishes.

"If I can offer a political statement, that would be it."

The War-Toughened Veteran

It was a rainy day in Combat Town, and that meant mud.

In a clearing deep in a forested area at Quantico, the Marine training grounds, members of the 4th CAG were staging their last field exercise before leaving for Iraq. The Marines were good-natured about the downpour: "If it ain't rainin', we ain't trainin.' " Several repeated the old military saw during breaks, laughing as mist and smoke from grenades swirled around them.