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ISSUE . July 2nd 2009

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Cover Story

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Soldiering On

Meet the people who fought — and continue to fight — our wars in the Middle East.

by Charles Cieri

More than 1.5 million Americans have fought in this country's two ongoing wars. While public interest and news coverage in Iraq and Afghanistan have waxed and waned, these volunteers have continued to stream to and from the battlefield. Here are 12 such people from the region.

Rob Pomroy

22, Fishtown
Specialist, Army
Currently in Iraq

"Daddy has to go far away, for work, to beat up the bad guys."

Byron Roth

36, Yardley
Captain, Army National Guard
Deployed to Iraq Summer 2005

He witnessed three MASCALs — attacks where the number of wounded exceeds the immediate medical capacity — and was himself injured, halfway through his tour, by an IED on the road.

Laura Golembiewski

22, Northeast Philly
Corporal, Marine Corps
Deployed to Iraq Winter 2006

"With all the graduates coming out of college, with a degree that I don't have, and all the military coming back — it's like rolling the dice."

Jose Quinones

24, Northeast Philly
Specialist, Army National Guard
Deployed to Iraq Spring 2005

Quinones' duties in the infantry varied, but his missions were consistently dangerous.

Dave Marris

50, Northeast Philly
Independent Military Contractor
Currently in Afghanistan

"Without contractors, the military could not function at the level that they do. The manpower just is not there."

Raheem Rowell

22, Trenton
Specialist, Army National Guard
Deployed to Iraq Summer 2008

"I sit down to eat and reach for my weapon and realize it's not there."

Matt Brennan

23, Jenkintown
Sergeant, Marine Corps
Deployed to Iraq Fall 2005 and Spring 2007

"My fiancée said it's either [the Marine Corps] or me, and she wins every time."

Tim Stanton

20, King of Prussia
Specialist, U.S. Army Reserve
Deploys to Iraq this Monday

On Sept. 11, 2001, Tim Stanton was only in fifth grade; that's the day he decided to join the military. He joined the Army Reserve

Carl W. Notter

60, Elkins Park
Master Sergeant (Retired) Army National Guard
Deployed to Afghanistan Winter 2003 and Winter 2007

"Some people try to mimic the life that they have back at home," says Notter. To him, this is completely wrong.

Roberto Brabham

27, North Philly
Technical Sergeant, Air National Guard
Deployed to Iraq Summer 2006, Kyrgyzstan Spring 2008

"It was either that or go to prison," he says. By "prison," he means Olney High School.

Lilliam Bernal

27, Trenton
Second Lieutenant, Army National Guard
Deployed to Iraq Winter 2005

"I didn't talk to my mom, I didn't consult with my boyfriend. I just went and did it."

Tim Johnson

50, Port Richmond
Specialist, Army National Guard
Deployed to Iraq Winter 2004 and Spring 2008

"When the mortar passed overhead, I said, 'Fuck 'em, if they do me they do me, I'm going outside to smoke a cigarette.' And that's exactly what I did."

RJ Ernst

27, Newtown
Sergeant, Marine Corps
Deployed to Iraq Spring 2005, in Iraq currently

"We have some TVs, we hear what’s going on. But, we’re already there, no matter what people thought."

Opinion

Loose Canon:

Domestic Tranquility

When the system is fair, we tend to share.

by Bruce Schimmel

In effect, our little scheme to ensure tranquility in our house shares the same principles to keep the peace in the nation. That people are all valued the same and all share equality in the common good.

Feedback:

Letters to the Editor

What You Say

"Subsequent bites made me eat the steak like the Three Stooges — taking their mouths to their hands and chewing."

News

Needle in a Haystack

The president made a promise about syringe exchange.

by Isaiah Thompson

The controversy around needle exchange is endlessly frustrating for advocates, because the data is so uncontroversial. An abundance of studies have shown that needle exchange programs prevent HIV and Hepatitis C infection among needle drug users.

Dispatch:

By the Sword

Little Anthony's mother didn't like the 18-inch sabre he'd hung above his bed.

by Mike Newall

In the apartment upstairs, Edward Harty was lounging in his underwear watching the Discovery Channel. His 11-year-old son heard commotion. Edward went to his front door but didn't hear anything. The son heard more noises. Edward walked downstairs to Anthony's slightly open front door. "Oh no, please," he heard Anthony saying.

Icepack

Amorosi on the news, nightlife, gossip and bitchiness beats.

by A.D. Amorosi

I'm not a sentimentalist. I want the future now. I just want Philly to be careful and get harder where it counts.

A Million Stories

Philly's proposed "broadband stimulus" | Francisville LOVES IT! | Dionte's disappointment

The Bell Curve

City Paper's Quality-o-Life-o-Meter

When news breaks in Philadelphia, we make jokes.

Arts

Art:

Blessed Union

Ish Klein preaches connectivity through poems and puppets.

by A.D. Amorosi

Ish Klein's work is an extension of her gentle, playful, daring soul. It's also part-and-parcel with happily growing up the daughter of a sanitation worker.

Arts Picks:

1776

Through July 5, $25-$52, Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, 2755 Station Ave., Center Valley, 610-282-9455,

by Mark Cofta

It's been 233 years since the historic bickering among the 13 colonies about declaring independence in "foul, fuming, fetid, foggy, filthy Philadelphia" (some things never change).

City of Nutterly Love

July 8-26, $39, Suzanne Roberts Theatre, 480 S. Broad St., 215-985-0420, philadelphiatheatrecompany.org.

by Mark Cofta

Some of the Philly phenomena they've discovered: It's the only place where the phrase "John Wanamaker's giant organ" isn't creepy.

Kaleidoscope

flickchart.com | Lapham's Quarterly | Revival Burlesque | Mos Def's The Ecstatic

Arts Picks:

A Rake's Progress

Through December, free, Brolo Hill Farm, 8480 Hagy's Mill Road, 215-482-7300, schuylkillcenter.org.

by Brion Shreffler

Each of Gary Miller's eight rakes, installed outdoors at the Schuylkill Center's Brolo Hill Farm, corresponds to a major element in William Hogarth's painting series A Rake's Progress.

First Friday Focus

Lori Hill's First Friday Hit List

by Lori Hill

Philadelphia Book Co. | Space 1026 | Pageant Gallery | Delware Center for the Contemporary Arts | Seraphin Gallery

Arts Picks:

Collaboration 26

Opening reception Fri., July 3, 5-9 p.m., free, through Aug. 2, 3rd Street Gallery on 2nd Street, 58 N. Second St., 215-625-0993, 3rdstreetgallery.com.

by Chris Monigle

Francine Shore has brought together a diverse group of colleagues of different ages and professions and whose passion transcends mere hobby.

Movies

Moon

City Paper Grade: B

by Sam Adams

The movie successfully imagines a distant but recognizable future in which the planet's energy problems have been solved by a transition to fusion. But we discover eventually that consumption has only been displaced and not eliminated, and that the true fuel source is not lunar rock but something far more precious.

Repertory Film

Your weekly guide to local film events, festivals and under-the-radar screenings.

Send repertory film listings to molly.eichel@citypaper.net.

Music

Suite Spot:

Hidden Gems

by Peter Burwasser

The theme that coursed through so much of the recently concluded Hidden City Philadelphia Arts Festival is history.

Music Picks:

Japandroids

Tue., July 7, 8 p.m., $10, with Matt & Kim and Team Robespierre, First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut St., 866-468-7619, r5productions.com.

by Molly Eichel

Brian King and David Prowse always meant to make their garage rock outfit a trio but never got around to finding a lead singer.

Kindred

Wed., July 8, 8 p.m., $25-$35, , World Café Live, 3025 Walnut St., 215-222-1400, worldcafelive.com.

by Deesha Dyer

Three albums and a few children later, Aja and Fatin still possess that true love of soul and self that you've been reading about in City Paper for almost a decade.

Erik Rico

Wed., July 8, 10 p.m., $10, with Dot.matic, Kanu, Mydnite Angel, Silk City, 435 Spring Garden St, Philadelphia, PA, 215-592-8838, eavesdropsessions.blogspot.com.

by Deesha Dyer

This may be the closest you'll come to someone who was discovered by Randy Jackson.

Witch Hunt

Wed., July 8, 6:30 p.m., $12, with The Subhumans and The Ray Gradys, Barbary, 951 N. Frankford Ave., 866-468-7619, r5productions.com.

by Patrick Rapa

Witch Hunt is pissed off. That they manage to channel it into some furious, glorious music is some kind of public safety miracle.

Cryptacize

Thu., July 2, 7 p.m., $12, with Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, First Unitarian Church Chapel, 2125 Chestnut St., 866-468-7619, r5productions.com.

by Patrick Rapa

Itsy-bitsy California indie project Cryptacize is slowly turning into an actual band.

Sonic Youth

Thu., July 2, 8:30 p.m., $25-$27, with The Entrance Band and Kurt Vile & the Violators, Electric Factory, 421 N. Seventh St., 215-336-2000, electricfactory.info.

by Michael Pelusi

There was probably a time when it seemed that Sonic Youth might deconstruct rock music into nothingness.

Bobby Zankel and the Warriors of the Wonderful Sound

Thu., July 2, 9:30 p.m., $10, Tritone, 1508 South St., 215-545-0475, tritonebar.com.

by A.D. Amorosi

Bobby Zankel doesn't need a 14-piece ensemble in which to make dense horn charts fly or dynamic rhythms pounce.

Magos Herrera

Fri., July 3, 5:45 and 7:15 p.m., free with museum admission of $16, Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2600 Ben Franklin Parkway, 215-763-8100, philamuseum.org.

by Shaun Brady

Whether singing in English, Spanish or Portuguese, Magos Herrera's expressive voice bridges language barriers through pure emotion.

Food

Drink Dapper

Bartender Christian Gaal is a vision of sartorial sipping splendor.

by Felicia D'Ambrosio

Gaal is known both for his beyond-retro look and encyclopedic knowledge of cocktail lore, dispensed as he concocts adult beverages from a boggling array of obscure liqueurs at APO Bar + Lounge and the newly opened Noble: An American Cookery.

RECIPES: The Blood & Sand and the Alaska Man's Luck

Learn how to make two of Christian Gaal's cocktails.

by Felicia D' Ambrosio

What's Cooking

July 4 Edition

by Lauren Fleming

11th Annual All-You-Can-Eat Ice Cream Festival | 4th of July Extra-vegan-za | Live Music and Barbecue at Chaddsford Winery | 4th of July Red, White & Blue Food Tour

Feeding Frenzy

Restaurants opening, closing and pending

by Drew Lazor

MIGA | Max Brenner, Chocolate by the Bald Man | Brauhaus Schmitz

Agenda

Agenda Lead:

Nerdcore

In the future, will science be cooler than rock 'n' roll?

by Holly Otterbein

When I reach Scott Beibin over the phone, he's acting like a rock star. The thing is, he's not one. A much better description would be "artsy scientist" or even simply "nerd from West Philly."

Agenda Picks:

Tree Adventure

Opening reception Sat., July 4, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., free with regular museum admission of $7-$14, exhibit ongoing, Morris Arboretum, 100 E. Northwestern Ave., 215-247-5777, morrisarboretum.com.

by Kyle Press

One of Morris Arboretum's new exhibits is the treehouse you always wanted as a kid, blown up to epic proportions.

City Tavern's Independence Day

Sat., July 4, 11:30 a.m.-5 p.m., free, City Tavern, 138 S. Second St., citytavern.com.

by Carlene Majorino

Ben Franklin is so clearly our boy.

The Bully Pulpit

Wed., July 8, 10 p.m., $5, Shubin Theatre, 407 Bainbridge St., 267-233-1556, phillyimprovtheater.com.

by Chelsea Calhoun

"This show is different because this features off-the-cuff comedy, where the panelists can be themselves and talk about basically whatever they want."

Catflowers

$7-$23 at catflowers.etsy.com.

by Holly Otterbein

These soft, all-fabric headbands are made with vintage floral prints, lace and cotton. But achieving comfort doesn't mean having to sacrifice style