Police officer returns to Iraq
BY ELANA ARON Correspondent

FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP - Jimmy Santiago sounds like the calmest man in the world. No one would believe that the 35-year-old Freehold Township police officer was speaking from Fort Benning, Ga., the location from which he would soon be headed back to Iraq - again.

By the time you read this Santiago will be in Iraq, having left to serve a second tour of duty.

A police officer for a bit over four years and the father of four children, Santiago said his first tour of duty in Iraq was from January 2003 to April 2004. He served as a military police officer conducting convoy escorts and driving a Humvee.

Now he has returned to Iraq for another year of service with the U.S. Army.

"I feel that if you love your country as much as I do, you should support it," said Santiago."

Santiago, whose parents live in Jackson, said he comes from a military family.

"My father is retired military. My whole family has been in the military," he said.

Santiago described the living conditions in Iraq that he recalled from his first time in the war zone.

"Whatever you had with you, that's what you lived on," he said.

Santiago was based in Baghdad, but traveled to neighboring cities such as Nazaria and Fallujah. This time he expected to be stationed in Balad, about 50 miles north of Baghdad.

When asked how he keeps up his courage and morale, Santiago responded with a positive message.

"I always concentrate on the mission at hand," he said. "I try to keep a confident, positive attitude. I definitely miss my family, but I get a lot of support from everyone. We always hear that we (the military) are hated. I try not to watch that type of news. When I was over there we got a lot of support from civilians. It's very different."

Santiago said he can't wait to return to his job as a Freehold Township police officer.

"I love that police department," he said. "I have a lot of friends there. I passed up a lot of jobs at other police departments for that one."