Mar 19, 2008 8:53 pm US/Pacific
Local Small Towns Bearing Heavy Load In Iraq
TRACY (CBS13) ―
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A memorial in Tracy for the troops that have died in American wars, including Iraq.
CBS
After five years of war in Iraq, the town of Tracy has seen seven local troops killed in Iraq. Per-capita, the city has suffered one of the highest losses in the entire country.
But despite the death toll, recruitment is still going strong here, as well as in communities up and down the valley.
"Tracy, to me, represents America like it should be," said Nadia McCaffrey, whose son died in Iraq.
Nadia's son, Patrick, was killed by the Iraqi police officer he was training back in 2004. She strongly disagrees with the war but respects her son's and others' decision to join. "They are very patriotic, they just feel like it's their duty," Nadia said.
Almost 2,400 from small towns have died in the war, according to the Contra Costa Times, but the death toll from large cities is far smaller: 537.
Mike Anderson from Modesto, who lost his son in Fallujah back in 2004, has an idea why that's true. "[It's] just the interaction between one another, [not like] the disconnect of bigger cities," he said.
Since his son's death, Mike has been working heavily with recruiters. Anderson says the small cities and towns of the central valley are some of the most committed.
"This is our home turf, home ground," Mike said. "We were born and raised here and want to raise our children in a safe environment."
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
CBS News Interactive: Iraq: 5 Years At War
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