FeedsTrustee steps from Fallujah to fatherhood
Click image to enlarge
Trustee Todd Caccamo is home after serving with the US Marine Corps in Iraq. He plans to spend May with his wife, Kay, their son, Carter, and their dog, Hashi.In mind and body, Todd Caccamo just can’t stop moving.
“I’ll spend five minutes doing one thing and then think of something else and do it,” he said.
Part of it is the joy and relief of being back in his Canton Township home after nearly eight months with the U S Marine Corps in Iraq. Another part could be a holdover from the war—the unwavering attention to multiple dangers, and constant movement to avoid a surprise bullet.
“We called it the ‘sniper mambo’,” said Caccamo. He got up from the couch to demonstrate, randomly ducking and weaving his head from side as he walked across his living room.
Caccamo, 34, returned to the United States last week with the 1st Battalion, 24th Marines, where he is assigned to Weapons Company. The corporal underwent a re-orientation process in California, where troops learn how to adjust to life after combat. The company flew Saturday to Perrysburg, Ohio.
It was an emotional homecoming for Caccamo, who saw his wife, parents and brothers for the first time in what seemed like ages.
“Sometimes (the war) almost felt like that was the norm, that was your natural life,” he said. “Sometimes you almost forgot what home was like.”
Kay, his wife, also introduced him to their first child, nine-week-old Carter, who he had only seen in photographs.
“To tell you the truth, I think I was less afraid to go to war than I was to become a father,” he said. “It’s such a huge responsibility and something I know nothing about.”
On Monday, a barefoot Caccamo wore a polo T-shirt and a pair of jeans. Classical music played on the stereo as Kay Caccamo held young Carter on her lap.
“Momma’s been teaching me well, I’m already feeding him and burping him and rocking him,” he added.
In Iraq, he dealt with the fear of leaving his family behind forever. Caccamo’s first three months in Fallujah were extremely violent, he said.
He recalled running for cover amid machine gun fire, thinking about how it would feel to be wounded.
“At the same time, I’ve got a Hail Mary praying through my mind,” he said. “At a third time, I was saying, ‘I can’t get killed because that leaves Kay alone’.”
To discuss the war is to walk a fine line for Caccamo, who is still bound by the Uniform Code of Military Justice. But he made it no secret before he left and upon his return that he thinks the war in Iraq is necessary.
“The American people need to understand this: we are dealing with such a radical, such an evil, such a determined enemy, that we have to welcome any venue that gives us the opportunity to kill these people,” he said.
Caccamo, who was a vehicle commander, does not hold back criticism on some issues, such as no-bid government contracts handed out while his Humvee armor was “ill-conceived and ill-procured.”
“It’s almost an unforgivable act, not to be properly equipped or equipped the same as your peers. That, quite honestly, would be the source of any of my PTSD,” said Caccamo, referring to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
“Let me make no bones about it: this is a horrible psychological war. This is Vietnam with camels instead of rice paddies,” he said.
He said he is probably less likely to have trouble coping with what he saw than a younger Marine would—but like the “sniper mambo,” there are still lingering effects.
“I can’t park next to certain cars right now. I’ll avoid a pothole in the street,” he said. “I haven’t heard anything since I’ve been back, but if I ever hear the airbrakes of a truck, I know I’m going to jump under the steering wheel, because it sounds like an RPG (rocket-propelled grenade) flying by.”
In Perrysburg, Caccamo said it was “tough to see” a buddy from Saline who had been wounded. He said he also knew Sgt. Bryan Burgess, of Canton, who was killed by a sniper last November.
“He didn’t have an evil bone in his body,” said Caccamo.
The trustee is anxious to return to the township board, even though he said he still cringes at being called a politician.
And he’s jumping into fatherhood, even thinking about entering a “Daddy Boot Camp” parenting class. One skill he needs to master: changing diapers.
“I showed him, but I’m going to give him a pass,” said Kay Caccamo. “We’ll learn together. There’s a lot to know.”
But the long-term future is still uncertain. Caccamo said he’ll remain in the reserves after he leaves active duty.
“If there’s a time we get mobilized again, I may elect not to seek re-election (in 2008) because of that.”
The idea of a second tour doesn’t sit well with his wife.
“To be honest, it was very hard having him away. You know, we talked about it, I said ‘Oh, I’m independent, I’ll be fine. But saying it before somebody leaves and dealing with it after they’re gone is two different things,” she said.But that mind keeps moving.
“Who knows, I may totally change it and get out (of the Marine Corps) and stay in politics,” said Caccamo. “Or get out of both. To be honest, I could care less about politics.”
