Larchmont Firefighter Back in Iraq - Now in Al Anbar

by Judy Silberstein; photos sent by Rich Heine

(October 6, 2005) Larchmont firefighter Lt. Rich Heine is back in Iraq. Once again the native Larchmonter and long-time member of the Larchmont Fire Department has been called to active duty with the Navy Reserves. As in 2003 at the start of the Iraq war, he’s serving as a corpsman, the Navy equivalent of a medic. But on his first tour he was posted to a communications unit; this time he’s attached to a Marine infantry unit fighting insurgents in Iraq’s western province of Al Anbar. (See: Call From Kuwait: Rich Heine's Camp Target of Iraqi Scud.)

News from the area is grim: though Lt. Heine is unable to comment on military operations, news sources describe ongoing, intensive activity from a combined force of 2,500 US and Iraqi government troops in Anbar. Major offensives were launched in the area this past weekend, labeled “Iron Fist” and “River Gate,” with the goal to push back against insurgents predicted to increase their violent activity in the run-up to the October 15 referendum on Iraq’s new constitution. Four US troops participating in the operations were reported killed on Tuesday. (See: Five U.S. troops killed in Iraq attacks.)

Despite these reports, “He says he’s doing fine,” said Larchmont Fire Department’s Captain Tom Andersen, who had just received word from his boyhood friend and colleague on Thursday, October 6. Lt. Heine reports satisfaction with his unit’s mode of transportation – mostly helicopters at this point – and sent along a photo of him taken on a day the thermometer hit 130 degrees.

Rich Heine left Larchmont this August for training in California and arrived in Iraq on September 15. Since then communication back to Larchmont has been sketchy. However, this past weekend, for the first time, he was able to call back to his local buddies via satellite phone. He reached Captain Andersen in the middle of this weekend’s Mets game. “He wanted to know if the Mets won,” reported Captain Anderson describing an email and instant message received on Thursday, October 6.

“Rich is greatly missed here in Larchmont,” said Captain Andersen. “I’m back covering his spot,” reported the captain, who is working longer hours at the Larchmont Fire House. “We’re back watching the news every day and sending email and gift boxes,” he added.

As they did during their friend’s first tour, when he was first in Kuwait and then in Iraq, the firefighters get a sense of what’s happening by following news broadcasts. However, because he is no longer with a communications unit, connecting directly is much harder. Also, he is not allowed to comment on any current events – whatever gets said about his situation must refer to occurrences that are at least seven days old. Discussing the heat is probably an exception.

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