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May 18, 2007

Those who made it back understand the dangers

Drake Lucas

Giselle Sterling gets chills thinking about Alex Jimenez, a Lawrence soldier who is feared captured by terrorists in Iraq.

She understands the danger.

Sterling, 25, served with the Marines in Afghanistan after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

"Anytime I hear any type of story like that it's heartbreaking," she said. "You hope and pray they are OK."

Sterling, of Lawrence, said the military has a code of conduct for prisoners of war -- to give only limited information like name and serial number, and to maintain ranks when captured with others.

They also are told to keep up their morale and the morale of others.

"Still, you can't really prepare for it," she said.

Charles Marsden, 26, an Army reservist who returned in 2004 from a 19-month tour in Iraq, said he thought about being captured, but didn't dwell on it.

"It's something that is always in the back of your mind," said Marsden, of Methuen. "Every day you go through you could be captured or possibly killed. But you keep your head about you and do what you are trained to do, which is survive."

He said in basic training they also were told to stand firm if captured, not to speak on video and not to side with the captors.

His first reaction when he heard about Jimenez was to think of the family and the difficult time they are having.

"Speaking as a soldier, it's a difficult situation," he said.

Zachary Taylor, who is home in Andover on leave from the Marine Corps, said for anyone in the military it's tough to hear of another military person captured or killed in Iraq no matter where they are from or what branch of the military.

"It's not a happy thing to think about," he said. "I lost some friends in Iraq. We all come from different parts of the country, but when you know someone was near where you were it hits home. After being there, it's one of those things you don't want to see anyone else go through."

Taylor, 27, was stationed west of Baghdad for seven months, and might be returning in February.

"I wish him luck," he said of Jimenez. "I hope he gets out of there safely."

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