Marine enjoys being home from Iraq
Versailles family glad to have son home for visit
Wanda English Burnett - Editor

Home for just 30 days from a tour of duty in Iraq, Lance Corporal John Bishop was glad to see family and friends.

The 20-year-old son of Gene Bishop of Versailles and Sarah Thomas of Columbus, shared what it is like to be a Marine fighting for his country.

"I always wanted to be a Marine," noted Bishop, who signed up in 2002 in the Delayed Entry Program. After graduation from Columbus North High School in 2003, he was on his way to fulfilling his dream. He said his brother also is a Marine, but that wasn't the deciding factor for him to enlist. Bishop has eight siblings.

Serving in the 3rd Battalion 1st Marines, based out of Camp Pendleton, CA, Bishop trained to be a machine gunner. He then traveled to Iraq where he put that training to use. He described traveling in a Humvee where he operated a machine gun as ordered, also carrying a M16 and 9mm for personal weapons.

The first five months in Iraq were spent in Abugharb, where the Marines stayed at an Army base. Lance Cpl. Bishop remembers the attacks there, saying suicide bombers would try to ram into the compound. Then his group moved out into country.

Bishop noted that although much of his time in Iraq was spent in battle, there is another side. "What you don't always see on TV is the marines giving candy to the little kids, helping people with their houses, or rushing an Iraqi citizen for medical help," he noted, smiling when he thought about the kids.

While Bishop says he's "done more in two years since I enlisted than I have in my entire life," he doesn't plan to reenlist after August 2007 when his time is up. He's been to the Chezk Republic, Kuwait, and Ireland as well as Iraq. He said he's enjoyed the thrill of being a Marine and is proud to serve his country. Someone else is proud too, his father, Gene. "I'm really proud home. While the military provided turkey and ham to make the holiday dinners special, it still wasn't like being at home for Thanksgiving and Christmas. "I really missed being home," the tough machine gunner admitted. He said his "spirits were lifted" when he received cards from Mrs. Belinda Mockbee's 7th graders at South Ripley. He visited their class on his leave to thank them.

"When we get a box from home, we share with those around us," he explained, saying the favor is returned. He said he really enjoyed getting pictures. Something that doesn't travel well in Iraq's hot months is chocolate. "I did miss chocolate," Bishop laughed.

Future plans after his military stint is over includes attending college, possibly UK, where he hopes to play basketball.

Bishop knows he's matured a lot from his experience saying he's definitely not the same person who initially enlisted. He describes the experience as positive and will go back to Iraq in September of this year.

WANDA ENGLISH BURNETT PHOTO

Lance Cpl. John Bishop enjoys time with his dad, Gene Bishop, while home on leave from the military. In the above picture, he's decked out in Marine gear, ready to serve his country.