Master Sgt. Donald Scott Black doesn’t have to think twice when asked how he feels about having served his country in Iraq.

“War is an ugly thing no matter how you look at it,” he said. “A lot of soldiers died over there. But as a result, there is a strong democracy pending in Iraq. They had elections—that’s amazing! They have the right to vote. We’ve instilled a lot of freedoms. I’m proud of what we did over there.”

Black was born in Laurens County and grew up in the Batesburg-Leesville area. He was part of Operation Iraqi Freedom 2003-2004 and has served in the S.C. Army National Guard for 20 years.

“My dad was in the Batesburg unit,” he said. “I graduated high school in 1988 and my dad encouraged me to join. I knew it couldn’t be that bad if he liked it.”

So at 18, Black was an “easy recruit.” From then until 1999, he was a traditional guardsman, serving one weekend a month and two weeks a year. In November 1999, he became a full-time guardsman in the Active Guard Reserve. Previously, he had worked a regular job with BNB Enterprises with his father and uncle.

He was deployed to Iraq on Feb. 10, 2003 and served until May 16, 2004.

“Bush didn’t proclaim war until March, but we knew in mid-January we would be mobilized in February,” he said.

His unit arrived in Kuwait at the end of April and rolled into Iraq in mid-May.

“We went straight into Al Assad Air Base in the mid-west section,” he said. “The 3rd Infantry Division had already cleared out Bagdad.”

As a combat engineer, it was his mission to look at infrastructures and assess damages.

“It wasn’t all war damages,” he said. “A lot of it was just old decay. The Army hired Iraqi contractors—plumbers, electricians, and so forth—to go in and rebuild. The Army spent a lot of money repairing schools and helped build medical clinics out of existing buildings. We didn’t touch the temples.”

Black said he found the people there mostly grateful for what they were doing.

“The conditions were harsh there,” he said. “But the children were a lot the same as ours. They play and are very respectful. It’s a different culture and religion. The people didn’t really come up to us. But they would stand off and wave and smile. I don’t really blame them. We were strangers to them.”

As far as Saddam Hussein, Black said he found most of the citizens to be very dissatisfied with his rule.

“Most of them were thankful to us for taking him out of power,” he said. “He was an evil man.”

Black was lucky to have received no injuries during his tour.

“I didn’t have to fire a weapon, and as far as I know, I was not fired upon,” he said.
But not everyone in Iraq was happy to have the American soldiers there. Some of his friends were injured.

“I know the pains they suffered,” he said. “But they wear their pain with pride. It makes me humble to be in the same class with them.”

He said in his battalion, they were fortunate to bring everyone home. Some units were not so lucky.

“My heart goes out to them,” he said. “On this Veterans Day, I’d like to think of them and thank them for the sacrifices they made.”

Since returning home, Black works as a Battalion Operations sergeant with the 122nd Engineer Battalion at the Edgefield National Guard Armory. He is in charge of setting up, tracking and assisting in any training the soldiers need. In annual training, he has gone to Honduras and Ft. Irwin, Calif.
“The National Guard does many great projects and humanitarian aids,” he said. “In 1989, our Battalion assisted with the clean-up from Hurricane Hugo.”

Black lives in Batesburg with his wife Jenni and two boys.

“I would recommend the military to young people today because it’s a good stepping stone to a long-lasting career,” he said. “It has afforded me many opportunities I wouldn’t have had otherwise.”

And on this Veterans Day, he has no regrets.

“I just feel the honor and pride that comes with being a soldier and helping protect the freedoms we enjoy and take for granted every day,” he said.