A sense of duty
By Deborah Moon Seldner
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"I did not join for the money or to travel the world, I did it simply because I wanted to do my part in serving the country," said Vladimir Zelkind of his decision to enlist in the U.S. Army 10 years after emigrating with his family from the disintegrating Soviet Union.
Now on his second tour of duty in Iraq with the 101st Airborne, Sgt. Zelkind, 28, said in an e-mail interview with the Jewish Review that he believes he is helping the Iraqi people and the U.S. military is "making a lot of progress."
"I supported him," said his mother Bella Zelkind, who lives in Portland with Clint Bond, her husband of 13 years. Bella moved to Portland aided by Jerry Stern, a cousin of Bella's mother, along with her three children, her sister and her son, and her parents Samson Kaganov and Raisa Stern.
Bond, an Army veteran, said he was proud of his stepson for enlisting.
"He felt a loyalty to the country, which I found unusual for someone who had not been here that long," said Bond.
Zelkind's grandfather, Samson Kaganov, 83, said that though things have changed, for most of his life people were not able to practice Judaism in the Soviet Union.
"My father was a rabbi until the '30s," he said. "Then we have to escape from the town where we lived. He changed all his behavior. He became a bookkeeper."
When Zelkind enlisted in June 2001 just after marrying Jaime Berks, the United States and most of the world were at peace.
"9/11 happened right after my basic training and by then I knew that I would be going somewhere," Zelkind said.
Bella said that during her son's first tour in Iraq, "I was almost dead. It was very scary."
But Bella said this second tour is much easier—both for her son and herself.
"He trained me well," she said of her more relaxed feelings during his second tour.
She said it is also easier because they are in contact via e-mail and video calls over the Internet. She said he speaks with Jaime, who lives in Kentucky where the 101st Airborne is based, several times a week.
"When he calls ? he's really proud of what he's doing," said Bella.
And the conditions in Iraq have improved for military personnel.
"First tour there was a lot of fighting and living conditions were a lot worse—I remember living out of our vehicle for the first three months," Zelkind said. "This time living conditions are a lot better, civilians are doing their part in making Iraq better, but there is still a lot of violence."
Bella said she also is pleased because she feels the Army now is using her son's talents.
"He is good with people and they are using him to go and talk to Iraqis," she said. "He enjoys talking to people."
Zelkind, who said he has learned some Arabic, and his unit travel with an interpreter.
"My job is forward observer and I am attached to infantry so we do a lot of patrols in our sector and interact a lot with the civilian population. We are also talking to people and seeing if we can help them in solving problems," he said.
"We try to give out candies, school supplies and toys to kids," said Zelkind. "My wife Jaime is sending me some soccer balls that she bought so I can give them out to kids."
"Children react with excitement—smiling, dancing, singing," he added. "From talking to their parents, we found out that in the past they were really scared of the Iraqi army and did not approach them in the same way they do us."
But while many things are improving, Zelkind said he is so busy this tour that he did not have time to participate in a seder.
"We are really busy right now, and just have enough time to get some rest in between the patrols" he said. "But I am sure there are arrangements for other Jewish soldiers that have a little more free time. I remember from my last tour that there were schedules and proper ceremonies for every Jewish holiday."