Toledo native Lt. Col. Timothy Bush, U.S. Army commander of the 2nd Battalion, 20th Field Artillery Regiment, has served many roles during his lengthy military career. He participated in the invasion of Panama in 1989, served in Korea in the mid-90s, taught at West Point and the University of Cincinnati and deployed with the 4th Division to Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003 as the deputy fire support coordinator.

In July, Bush and his unit, stationed at Forward Operating Base Delta, in Iraq, have laid down their multiple-launch rocket systems to take on counterinsurgents as part of the Deep Strike Battalion. He communicated with Toledo Free Press in an e-mail interview, describing his background, family and the situation in the embattled country in a war that has sparked international controversy, created domestic turmoil, brought freedom to despotism and heightened national pride, depending on one’s point of view.

TFP: What part of Toledo are you from? Where did you attend high school?

TB: I grew up in Point Place and attended Whitmer High School, graduating in 1984. I went to Bowling Green State University and graduated with a degree in journalism in 1988. My wife, Sheryl, is a graduate of UT and MCO, with a bachelor of science in nursing. She worked at St. Vincent [Mercy Medical Center] before we got married.

My parents were both educators. My dad, Warren Bush, was a history teacher and assistant football coach at DeVilbiss High School in the 1970s, and then the assistant principal at DeVilbiss. He retired from the Toledo Public Schools in the late ’90s. My mother, Joan, was the school librarian at St. John Elementary School in Point Place. My parents have since retired to the Fort Myers area of Florida, where they are certified Florida master gardeners.

TFP: Is your wife from Toledo and is she still here? Children? Do you still have family members here?

TB: My wife, Sheryl (Zahn) Bush, is also from Toledo. She grew up in Meadowvale, right near Whitmer [High School]. We dated in high school. Her mother, Sharon Zahn-Davis, still lives in Toledo, off of Central Avenue. Sharon was a member of the Washington Local School Board through the 1980s.

I am stationed at Fort Hood, Texas, and my wife and I live in Harker Heights, a small town about 20 minutes from the base. Fort Hood is in central Texas, about an hour north of Austin and 45 minutes south of Waco. It’s a great area of the country, and we’ve really enjoyed living there. We have two daughters, Hannah (10) and Sarah (6). They lived in Ohio last year when I was stationed in Cincinnati, but other than that, they are transplanted Texans.

TFP: How and how often do you have contact with friends and family in the states?

TB: Frequently. I am able to call my wife several times a week, and I e-mail my parents about once a week.

TFP: Are you able to keep up on news that affects Toledo or the states?

I’m not current on Toledo news, but we are able to stay abreast of world and national news. We paid close attention to the Olympics, as well as the recent Republic of Georgia crisis. We’re also watching the convention and political news pretty closely. We get the Stars and Stripes — a military newspaper that runs news from the theater of operations as well as major wire stories.

TFP: When did you first deploy to Iraq? When will you return?

TB: We deployed in June of this year, and we are scheduled to redeploy in the summer of 2009. Unfortunately, our deployment will stretch across two miserable hot summers.

TFP: What do you miss most about America?

TB: No question about it: I miss my family the most — my wife and my two girls. I guarantee that that’s the same for almost every soldier here. Quality of life has improved exponentially since my first deployment here, but family separation remains the biggest single negative.

TFP: Are there other soldiers you’ve had contact with from Toledo? Ohio? Michigan?

TB: The public affairs officer of the 10th Mountain Division, Lt. Col. Paul Swiergosz, is a classmate of mine from BGSU, and we hadn’t run into each other in almost 20 years until we crossed paths over here. I am a huge Ohio State fan, and my soldiers know it. College football season is a great time of year, and we have many Buckeyes taunting Wolverines and vice versa. Of course, we also have our share of Longhorns, Gators, Seminoles, Tigers, Trojans, etc.

Because of the significant Middle Eastern population in the Toledo and Detroit area, many of our interpreters also have Toledo or Detroit ties. My first interpreter, Safaa, is from Toledo with a house in Old Orchard. My current interpreter, Hassan, is from St. Lawrence Shores, just north of Detroit.

TFP: Is there any advice you would give to young people wanting to serve their country and possibly end up deploying to Iraq or other hotspots to fight terrorism?

TB: This generation of Americans inspires me with their attitude and their selfless service. I am in awe of this generation of soldiers.

This entry was posted on Friday, October 3rd, 2008 at 12:00 am and is filed under Military.
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