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Local soldier home for the holidays shares experiences in Middle East
Dukes' duties involve protecting Chaplain Anthony Taylor of Norfolk, Va. while they are stationed in Bhagdad. "I basically serve as his bodyguard while we are there," he said. "That's much different than when we are in the U.S. at Ft. Hood where I am stationed, I serve in more of an administrative capacity." Every time the chaplain, who is considered a non-combatant, leaves the forward operating base to minister to those in need, Dukes is by his side. "We interact a lot with the Iraqis," he explained. "We visit hospitals and provide comfort to those who have been wounded, whether it be soldiers, civilians or insurgents. Once an insurgent has been injured, he is considered non-threatening and is treated as everyone else." A huge part of the chaplain's duties involves helping boost the morale of the troops. "The soldiers love him," said Dukes. "He is a very approachable and comforting person. They seem to be drawn to him." When Dukes graduated from Jackson Academy in 2005, he said he had no real enthusiasm toward a career choice. "I attended Alabama Southern and took some courses, but wasn't really enthusiastic about it," he said. "Then God called me to join the Army as a way of serving Him and my country. I prayed and was directed to minister to soldiers in Iraq. I enjoy the work I do there with the chaplain." Dukes said one of the biggest things that boosts morale among the troops is to receive anything from home, whether it be from loved ones or from strangers. "Cards, letters, cookies, it doesn't matter," he said. "They love to get stuff from home. I encourage everyone to take the time to send a soldier something because it means so much to them." Dukes said while his job in Iraq has mostly been a good experience, there is always the threat of an attack. "Believe it or not, you become complacent because of the frequency of explosions all around. So, when something does happen, it wakes you up to the fact that you are in a war zone." He related an experience he had one night while sitting in his room on base watching television. "I was watching TV and an RPG (rocket propelled grenade) hit the building that I and about 60 other soldiers were housed in. I muted the television to see where it hit, instead of taking cover like I was trained to do. It was a direct hit. The RPG left a hole in the roof of the building, cracked the ceiling in many places and the building caught fire. We had to evacuate. I grabbed my weapon, ran out in the dark and headed down the hall. I checked in with the chaplain then evacuated. Amazingly, no one inside the building was injured. Many of us should have died, but the shrapnel from the explosion missed everyone." Dukes said he is glad to be home for the holidays and to be able to put the war behind him for a little while. "I'm eating like a hog too," he laughed. "Some of the food isn't too bad over there, but it's much better here." With two years left to serve during his current enlistment, Dukes said he plans to return to college once his tour of duty is over. He hopes to find some type of career he enjoys and said he definitely wants to serve as a youth minister. "I feel like that is my calling," he added. "Working for the Lord is the most important thing I do."
Dukes is the son of Trisha and Billy Dukes of Jackson. He is engaged to be married to Beth Matthews.
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