Veteran looks to make connection

A local veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom is looking to connect fellow members of the armed services who served in this conflict, in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.

Keith A. Lucas of Osage Beach is encouraging these soldiers and sailors to join him and other veterans at the VFW Post 5923 in Camdenton as a way to deal with the after effects of the battlefield.

For many veterans who have served in combat, conflict continues once they are home — the internal wounds of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and what is known as survivor's guilt.

For some soldiers who make it home, while others did not, there is a feeling of guilt, which can lead to depression and, in extreme cases, suicide.

Lucas has seen first hand what survivor's guilt can do. In his first few weeks in Iraq, there was a suicide at his camp. Lucas discovered the body of a non-commissioned officer who had been stricken with guilt after a younger soldier had been shot and killed near him.

But it doesn't have to be another tragic ending for soldiers who feel this way. Talking about what happened with those who have 'been there' can help, he said.

For Lucas, his time in Iraq was "the best experience I never want to do again.”

"It helped me see what was important in life, and that is family,” Lucas said. “It brought me back to God. I learned to pray again. Most of all it taught that your time on Earth is short and not guaranteed, you should use every minute wisely, let people you care about know that they are important and live for now."

The Camdenton VFW pays the membership dues the first year, Lucas said.

"It's really a positive thing to get involved with people who have the shared experiences of combat," he said. "They'll pay for the first year, so what do you have to lose?"

Enlistment
"I always wanted to be a soldier," Lucas says about joining the National Guard in 2000 at the age of 22. "I grew up in a patriotic home. My parents have an American flag flying in their front yard."

His older brother, Robie, served in the Air Force. His grandfathers fought in World War II.

At the time, however, Lucas had been attending college but was struggling, lacking direction, he says.

"I had no idea what I wanted to do. I met a friend that was in the Guard and he told me about it and introduced me to a lot of fellow National Guard soldiers. I felt burnt out on school, like I had no purpose, so I decided to join the military."

At the time, he was also considering becoming a firefighter, and so, he thought being a combat medic would help with that. After his training, he began volunteering as a firefighter, but decided to go back to college He earned an Associate of Arts, studying mass communications, at St. Charles County Community College before enrolling at University of Missouri-St. Louis. There, he studied communications with an emphasis in television production.

Then in late 2003, his unit was called up for active duty —  just as he was five classes shy of his Bachelor of Arts.

"First thing I thought of when I got the news was my now wife, Erin. At the time, we weren’t married or even dating. We had broken up (my fault) but still talked infrequently. I worried that if I died, she would never know how much I loved her. I called and told her that I wanted to marry her," Lucas said.

Back together with Erin Overlander, a 1999 Camdenton High School graduate, Lucas left for Iraq just after Valentine's Day 2004.

In Iraq
Lucas served as a combat medic, going out on missions with his Missouri Army National Guard unit of approximately 70 soldiers every day of his 365-day tour. The unit's task: Find and clear roadside bombs.

While his unit cleared some side villages, their main job was keeping the main north/south route through Iraq — known as the Highway to Hell — clear of bombs. It was pretty much the only route north and south, meaning it was the main supply for U.S. troops.

Moving around the country as needed in a huge truck that had originally been made for clearing mines in Africa, the unit removed bombs, frequently buried in the ground along the roadway, as they came across them, then destroyed them with explosives. In the armored truck, his unit, wearing heavy body armor and helmets, would often lead convoys of tanks to clear the path for regular Army soldiers on their way to another mission.

"As medic, I was there in case something went wrong but also as another set of eyes for bombs. My unit was very successful in our mission, saving many lives," said Lucas, who earned a Combat Medic Badge after an incident in which his convoy was hit by a car bomb near a village south of Baghdad. The badge was awarded for his efforts to treat his fellow soldiers.

"I tried but couldn’t save one of the wounded. He died in my arms. It haunts me still but I know I tried. As a soldier, you know death is a part of combat. It is the price we must pay so that others may live and war can be won," he says.

There were several U.S. casualties that day.

What people don't often realize about these types of incidents, hearing about them in the news, is that the unit must continue its mission after the attack, Lucas says. Once the casualties and wounded were evacuated, the unit proceeds, continuing the mission with no break.

These days were long and hot — warm breezes feeling like a blow dryer instead of a cooling sensation. With no buildings yet at the main camp, they slept on cots in tents. He felt lucky in comparison to the Marines who slept "outside the wire" of the base.

Enemy combatants often mortared the area.

"The mortars could happen at any time in camp. The worst was the fear of mortars while you slept," Lucas said.

At camp, a contractor provided food. While out on mission, the unit had MREs (Meal, Ready to Eat), which were notoriously bad, he said, so they usually ate snack food, such as beef jerky, from care packages sent over from family and friends at home, or organizations supporting the troops.

Lucas and his comrades saw first hand the tyranny of the Saddam Hussein regime in the oppressed people of Iraq who had lived in fear of torture and death for so long.

But thanks to the Internet, Lucas was able to maintain regular contact with Erin and his family. He also finished his degree, taking classes online at night. He received Associated Press attention when he graduated from University of Missouri-St. Louis while in Iraq. Lucas took part in graduation ceremonies via satellite in December 2004.

Back Home
Coming home was like a huge weight lifted off of his shoulders, he says.

"It was hard to adjust at first but with time I became more comfortable. I still think 'it might be a bomb' when I see something on the side of the road, but I no longer swerve."

Shortly after his return, Erin's parents — Dr. Maurice and Nancy Overlander of Camdenton — announced their engagement in the Lake Sun.

After marrying at Harper Chapel United Methodist Church in Osage Beach in September 2005, Keith and Erin lived in Wentzville, but visited the lake a lot.

"We always dreaded Sunday evening when we had to go back. We both loved the small town atmosphere of the lake as well as the lake itself," he said.

Their daughter Anna was born in 2007. The couple decided to move to the lake area.

He works for as an insurance agent for Mills & Sons Insurance. The family are members of Harper Chapel. Last year, he joined the VFW in Camdenton.

Now enjoying civilian life, he urges the public to remember that the combat is not over, and the soldiers fighting need their continued support.

Contact WestSide Star Editor Amy Wilson at amy.wilson@westsidestar.net.