An Atmosphere of Anxiety

Traffic here is lighter these days. So is the wait at the local barber shop.

With about half of the base’s Marine Corps battling in the war zone, this dusty town in the south Mojave Desert seemed deserted Monday.

Remaining residents said the death toll in Iraq -- including at least 19 Marines from Twentynine Palms -- has left them full of unease.

Some are afraid of more news of military casualties, especially from the base’s roughly 11,000 troops. They also empathize with Marines and their loved ones at Camp Pendleton, which lost 25 Marines last week after heavy fighting in Iraq.

Others -- Marines and sailors from units trained at Twentynine Palms -- feel frustrated because they’d rather be fighting in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

“The guys that went want to go back, and the ones that have never gone are anxious to go and test themselves,” said Gunnery Sgt. James Solas of San Antonio, who has been stationed for 18 months at the 935-square-mile base, officially known as the Marine Air Ground Task Force Training Command

Off base, televisions in homes and restaurants are tuned to CNN. Pvt. Doug Ayers, 22, of Tulsa, Okla., monitors the news constantly.

“When you hear about [casualties], it hits home,” he said. “It could have been you.”

Just about the only places bustling are churches. At the Gospel Fellowship Outreach Worship Center, services have been packed. People are “looking for comfort, to feel some warmth and some support,” Pastor T.K. Washington said.

Outreach workers also have been busy providing military families with meals, baby-sitting and other services, Washington said. “There is quite a bit of fear.”

Dee Richart, executive director of the Chamber of Commerce, has lived in Twentynine Palms for a decade. The town’s 27,600 residents have grown wearily resigned to anxiety during wartime, she said, but added that the current deployment is different.

“We know they’re in danger,” she said. “We know they’re in harm’s way, but we know they’re doing a job they’ve trained for.”

Added Capt. Robert Crum, spokesman for the base: “News of injuries or deaths is always sobering, but not unanticipated.... [Iraq] is a story that’s been going on for 14 years. The saga does not end.”

For Cpl. K.J. Graywater, 21, of North Dakota, an end is in sight. His Marine duty is over in June -- and his girlfriend, Becky Hanson, is relieved.

“I’m just glad he’s getting out,” the 21-year-old said as she and Graywater spent a quiet Monday afternoon eating hamburgers under a tree at Luckie Park.

Graywater, who served in Iraq last year, said he is disturbed by the military casualties. “It’s kind of an eye-opener, because you don’t really expect to know someone who’s got shot,” he said.

In front of a parking-lot mural depicting soldiers in Iraq, two women offered different perspectives on the news coming into town.

Dora Kreymborg, a 10-year resident, said it contributes to her opposition to the war.

“I think about the death of the poor, innocent, uninformed military men,” she said, “and I feel sorry for the thousands of Iraqis -- babies and children -- killed in war.”

But Genevieve Salisbury, 74, who has lived in Twentynine Palms for 30 years and is married to a retired Navy physician, said casualties are sad but inevitable. “That happens in war,” she said.

But despite differing opinions, residents in Twentynine Palms agree they support the military. “We’re very sad, but we know we have to stay the course,” Salisbury said. “This town is behind the troops.”

Scott Wasser came to this base last fall to visit his son, Christopher. Last week, Christopher Wasser, 21, died in enemy action in Al Anbar province.

The elder Wasser, of Ottawa, Kan., said his son “was proud of what he did. His buddies were too. They wanted to exemplify values such as honor, duty and commitment.”

Wasser said he worried about other Marines from the base. “I wonder if anything happened to Chris’ buddies, or was he the only one?

“They’re all good people,” he said, “and this is very hard.”