By Jim Keithley
Sentry staff
    Army Specialist Jason Swiger is a hero in the eyes of the young children at the Mary F. Marsh Elementary School in South Portland.
    Swiger, who just returned home on a 14-day leave after spending three months in the Middle East fighting in the war with Iraq, fielded a barrage of questions from the school kids who gathered to greet their hometown hero.
    Swiger, 20, enlisted in the U.S. Army shortly after graduating from South Portland High School in 2000. He is stationed at Fort Bragg in North Carolina where he is a member of the 82nd Airborne Division. His unit was called up the day after Valentine's Day on Saturday, Feb. 15. The division arrived in Kuwait and headed into Iraq. Swiger is a calvery scout or gunner on a Humvee truck. He said the mission kept them in southern Iraq.
    "We kept the main supply routes open," he said. "We didn't engage in any fighting."
    Swiger's little brother Charlie, 10, was among the dozens of school children who sat with their legs crossed listening intently and asking every question imaginable.
    "What was the weather like in Iraq?" one boy wondered.
    "It's really hot over there," Swiger said. "When I left it was 132 degrees."
    "Where did you sleep," another student wondered.
    "In the back of my Humvee," Swiger said. "For 12 weeks I slept there and it was very uncomfortable," he said.
    The students had heard about the dust storms and asked if Swiger had gotten caught up in one.
    "Yes, actually one of the dust storms knocked me off my truck while I was sleeping," he told the students. "It was a six foot fall to the ground and it didn't feel too good," he said. The children laughed.
    "What do you like most about coming home?" one little boy asked.
    "You learn to appreciate things more," he said. "Like the trees and the green grass, they don't have that over there."
    "Did you meet Iraqi people?" another little girl wondered.
    "Yes, but they don't speak English. They wanted to trade money with us."
    "What do you eat over there?" was another question from the crowd of youngsters.
    "Dinner in a bag. It's the most exquisite cusine," he said. The students laughed at that answer too.
    "What do you wear in the war?" a young boy asked.
    "DCU's," Swiger said. "That stands for desert combat uniforms and they're heavy."
    "What did you miss most while you were gone?"
    "My friends, my family and my car," he said. "I love my car."
    "Did you see Saddam Hussein?" asked another student.
    "No, but there are statues and pictures of him everywhere you look," Swiger said.
    "Did you knock them down?" asked a little girl.
    "No, the locals did that after we knock him (Saddam) from power."
    "Were you ever in any danger?"
    "Yes, all the time. You never know when they're coming."
    "Do you like your job?"
    "Yes, I do," Swiger said proudly.
    "Would you go back?"
"I'll do anything to protect our country and our state so you kids can grow up and have a happy life," Swiger said. That answer drew a round of applause.
    Following the question and answer session with students, teachers presented Swiger with a huge cake. It read; "Welcome home Jason, Thank you for your bravery."
    Swiger will head back to Fort Bragg soon and wait for his next orders. In the meantime, he said he will spend time with family and friends and share war stories with two uncles who also served in the military.
    He said when he returned to South Portland and saw all yellow ribbons hanging everywhere he knew his mother was behind them.
    "When I saw all the ribbons, I knew she did it," he said.
Valorie Swiger is happy that her son is back home and safe.
    "He's great," she said. "He looks good and I think it made him and even bigger and stronger man. He understands what freedom is all about."
    The proud solider said, "We got to do what we got to do."
Swiger will have completed three years of service in the U.S. Army on June 29, but he's not ready to get out just yet.
    "I re-enlisted for another four years," he said. "They could send me to Korea. If they need me, I'll go."