The war comes to Merced

ABOUT THE SERIES: Plato wrote that "only the dead have seen the end of war." The decision to go to war is the most important a civilized society ever makes. For a nation to win a war, its citizens must support and believe in the cause, and they must understand the consequences, casualties and costs of the decision to go to war. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are being waged thousands of miles from Merced County and the San Joaquin Valley. Yet, because no man, and no community, is an island, the effects from those wars ripple through Merced and Mercedians in ways they may not even feel.

This 13-part series, "The War Comes To Merced," tries to identify and explain some of those ripple effects on real people in our community. The stories are nonpartisan and apolitical -- their only motive is to inform. With accurate information, citizens can understand what the current wars mean for them. We hope this series brings you the information you need to make your judgments about these wars.

Part 1: Marine's death tests faith of survivors
The way he died -- shot in the neck and jaw by an Iraqi sniper firing through a trick taillight from the trunk of a car outside Fallujah -- makes it hard to imagine that Josh Pickard would say he was doing what he loved.

Part 2: Back home from Iraq, veterans settle into new lives
For weeks after he came home from Iraq, Salvador Mejia couldn't keep his car between the white lines. He knew he should stay in his lane, but his Ford Explorer just kept straying to the middle of the road. And he couldn't keep his eyes from scanning the shoulders for IEDs.

Part 3: Soldier loses good friend, finds his father in Iraq War
The loneliest 15 minutes of Pfc. Kyle Turner's life happened on an asphalt road on the outskirts of Balad, Iraq, in June 2003. Intel suggested few threats in the area. The intel was wrong.

Part 4: Hmong see their own past in Iraq War
Merced's Hmong are watching the war in Iraq in a mirror. The Southeast Asian refugee community draws sharp parallels between themselves and the Iraqis, who would fall victim to even more sectarian violence if the U.S. prematurely withdraws its troops from their country.

Part 5: Military finds campuses ripe for recruits
Dressed in his spotless Class A uniform, Army Reserve Col. Gerald E. Brunn stood quietly at the front of a Merced High School classroom with a stack of glossy, colorful brochures in his hands.

Part 6: Troops find TLC in parcels
Using a dolly she called "Old Bessie," Linda Dash carted about four large boxes into the Winton Post Office. The boxes of socks and Christmas stockings filled with little goodies were going to Merced County soldiers in Afghanistan. Other days the boxes are sent to Iraq.

Part 7: Black GI's -- Red, white and blue, the colors that count
The story of Brandon Ingram Fisher is a snapshot in the long historical continuum of black men and women who have answered the call to protect a nation, one whose shores their ancestors first arrived in shackles and chains.

Part 8: Marine rehabs to get fit again for war
As the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq enter their seventh and fifth years, repeat deployments have become the rule, not the exception, for Marine and Army units. Some troops are on their fourth tour of duty in Iraq, and many more have completed at least two.

Part 9: A look at Merced's persistent peace movement
Even before the war in Iraq began, a small group of peace demonstrators began gathering every Friday afternoon on M Street. These days, the group draws more peace signs than middle fingers. But that wasn't always the case.

Part 10: Merced Muslims find a welcome despite war
Across the United States and around the world, being Muslim in the midst of the war on terrorism sometimes has meant being subjected to anti-Muslim backlash and discrimination. Muslim Mercedians, however, describe their community as a remarkably welcoming place to practice their faith.

Part 11: Educators use conflicts as classroom curriculum
Merced County teachers have noticed that students� ears perk up when the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are mentioned and use that to their advantage. Atwater High School world history teacher Seth Medefind said he often uses news stories to ignite discussions on the subject in his classroom.

Part 12: Wife and son wait for Marine to return
Denise Molina and thousands of other husbands and wives found themselves leading the life of a single parent when their other half went off to war. For now, a wife no longer has a husband. A son doesn't have a father.

Part 13: Vets from three wars tell their stories
While opinions about whether America should be fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq are as diverse as the Merced men themselves, local veterans from World War II, Korea and Vietnam channel an unmatched empathy for their 21st century comrades-in-arms.