For Bermudian David Perinchief, who served in Iraq with the US Marine Corps, the official ending of the nine-year conflict in Iraq offered a chance to reflect on a task accomplished.“There’s no real difference in how I feel,” Sgt Perinchief said from Boston, where he works now with the Military Order of the Purple Heart. “It’s a little bit of closure. For me, it’s more about my friends that died. They went over there for a purpose.“We did our job. Saddam is ousted from power, an Iraqi government has been established. We spent a huge amount of time training Iraqis. There comes a point where it’s like raising a kid; you can’t do any more. It’s done.”Working with an organisation that guides veterans through the bureaucracy following combat has made for a rewarding year so far, he said.“I’m dealing with all the guys coming home, helping them understand the benefits, the rules and regulations,” he said. “The biggest thing is understanding the system.”He added: “There are days where I really wish I was back overseas. Some days I’d rather be dealing with bullets and grenades.”Sgt Perinchief said that the US departure, marked yesterday with ceremonies in Iraq as some of the last troops prepare to leave, created little fanfare in the US itself.“If you haven’t been there, it’s just another day,” he said. “Most people will be more focused on the amount of money that’s getting saved.”His combat experience in 2006 was just one phase in a lengthy military career, but when asked what he had brought back from Iraq, Sgt Perinchief said: “The best thing I took out is understanding being a true leader.“If it’s between me and my 12 guys, I learned, from situations that we were put in, that I was ready to sacrifice myself to keep us going.“Fighting your way out of a three-way ambush is about as crazy as it gets,” he added. “We were getting snipers, mortar, machine gun fire, chasing insurgents through the city honestly, it’s what the job entails. And never did I hear any of my guys complain. Everyone knew why they were there.”Sgt Perinchief added he would like to contribute in Bermuda.“If I hadn’t been so injured, I’d come home and help with the Regiment, because Bermuda’s my home too,” he said. “Right now I have about 3,000 guys who need taking care of, so my work is keeping me very busy.”Back in Bermuda, for parents Ann and Peter Perinchief, yesterday’s end to a long and bloody conflict was an occasion fraught with complicated feelings.Their daughter, Captain Lauren Baskins, also served in Iraq, and also with the US Marines.“As parents, we are remarkably grateful that our Marines survived,” Mrs Perinchief said. “That’s the best way I can put it, because you’d always wonder if they were coming back.”Even though the military does not use the telephone to inform family members of deaths, Mrs Perinchief said: “Every time the phone rang, I’d wonder.”Capt Baskins wrote to The Royal Gazette from Okinawa, Japan, where she lives currently with her husband, Isaac.“Some experiences change your perspective,” she recalled. “Deploying to a combat zone is one of them.”She served seven months in Iraq in 2005, in a detachment known as Task Force Bermuda, with 60 male Marines and one female.“We didn’t sleep much. I think we were awake the entire seven months,” Capt Baskins said.“I remember that my sister had her first son while I was there. I cried when I got to talk to her. I missed her a lot. I remember thinking this is what it’s like to really miss something important, and that’s a sacrifice service members make. I know every day I hoped she would e-mail me photos of the baby because it was so special. It made me sad. It made me wonder how many don’t make it home from war. Everyone is someone’s baby. The family members, they sacrifice too. Support those at home, they need it too.”Looking back, she added: “The strongest memories are usually of the people I worked with who didn’t come home, or who have come home injured. The Marines and service members who worked so hard. The friends and families who support them. My friends who made the time over there enjoyable. I love them. We laughed, we cried, we bonded. I am proud to have served and I am proud to support those who continue to serve.”For the mother of another warrior, Donna Thomas, the Iraq campaign’s final day was another chance to be grateful she can talk to her son, Sgt Daniel (Parker) Thomas, who now resides in Texas.Her son suffered aneurysms while serving in Iraq with the US Army. He was rushed via Germany to the Walter Reed Medical Centre, and continued another year in the army.“He got an honourable discharge,” Ms Thomas said. “He’s alive, and I’m so glad that he’s fine. His short term memory has been affected, and that bothers him. We talk all the time.”Parents see war differently, she said.“I really feel that the Americans should not have gone over there in the first place,” Ms Thomas said. “It’s glad it’s ended.”