Local War Veteran Visits Campers

When L.M.C.C Camp Director Rich Salerno introduced a speaker to his summer camp on Wednesday afternoon, he emphasized that the person they were about to meet was in their exact same shoes just a few short years ago, attending summer camp and playing Little League Baseball in Harrison.

But the journey that Jeff Combs took over the past decade has led him to standing in front of crowds, and not being a part of them.

Combs, who was raised in Harrison and still lives up the street from the camp, served in Iraq for six years, leaving four years ago after being shot numerous times and losing his left arm to a shrapnel bomb. He answered questions from campers for more than a half-hour.

Questions ranged from "where you scared?" to "what type of guns did you use?" and all were answered with more depth than most would expect.

"I'm very open about it," said Combs, adding that younger kids are actually more open to conversation than teens and adults.

About 100 campers listened intently in the Mintzer Center in West Harrison as Combs described what it was like to lose a limb while serving his country overseas. 

"It wasn't really a thought process or pain," Combs explained to the campers. "It was: I need to get out of here before I'm dead."

He added that after a bomb so badly mangled his arm that it later had to be amputated, he felt no pain.

Although the conversation may have been a little more mature than some students are used to, Combs said that he sees it as a good experience for the campers, comparing it to when he first saw friends in the hospital after returning from Iraq.

"It's funny, everybody came down and saw me in the hospital, everybody from around here, they said that the war was so far away," he said. "Until somebody they know got hurt, then it brings it right in their face."

The veteran's travels took him from Georgia to California in the U.S and then to Kuwait, Iraq, Budapest, Germany and Afghanistan - to name a few. 

He said that he never doubted his commitment to service, and it was always something his friends and family knew was what he wanted to do.

Combs has spoken in the area before, visiting Harrison Avenue School and Harrison High School. He said that he does it because it is good for people, especially young people, to hear his story.

When asked, he told the campers that he does support the on-going war in Afghanistan, and would have returned if he could have. He added that since he returned to Iraq several times during his service, he could personally see the progress there.

But the conversation, for the most part, avoided politics and focused on the experience of serving the United States.

"I love this country," he said to the campers. "I can't complain because I loved every second of it."