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David D. Isakson
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Master Sgt. Randy Hopp, a 1984 Milan High School graduate, recently served five months in Iraq as an Air Force combat cameraman. He took part in some weapons cache searches, house patrols and convoys, but said nothing was more rewarding than a trip he took to a local elementary school during a humanitarian mission. "Life is getting better," he wrote in an e-mail to David and Joyce Hopp.
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Milan Township residents David and Joyce Hopp don't rely solely on news accounts for information on the Iraq war. They get a lot of it first hand –– or rather first e-mail.
Brothers Randy and Steve Hopp have both spent time in the war-torn country and regularly sent David and Joyce pictures and brief-but-revealing accounts of their experiences.
"We always looked forward to Randy's e-mails," said David Hopp. "People at work were always asking if I'd heard anything from Randy."
And what the Hopps hear from the two brothers, both Milan High School graduates, is different from much of what they hear in the news.
Master Sgt. Randy Hopp, 40, graduated from Milan High School in 1984 and joined the Marines in 1986. He served four years and took part in Desert Storm after Iraq invaded Kuwait. Afterward, he served in the Marine Reserves until his base, Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, was shut down, at which point he joined the Air Force Reserves so that he could remain in public affairs as a combat cameraman.
During his five months in Iraq, Randy was responsible for coordinating teams of military videographers and photographers.
"My job is usually to lead a team that sends out the images that are taken throughout the country and deliver them to the Pentagon," wrote Randy. "However, I will take a mission every so often to sharpen my skills."
In addition to videotaping a range of combat and humanitarian missions, Randy videotaped former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein during his trial.
In his e-mails, Randy is upbeat and confident and paints a picture in contrast to one of devastation and chaos.
"I talked with dozens of people and, while there are still problems here, life is getting better," he wrote. "People appreciate what we are doing and, neighborhood by neighborhood, we are making a difference."
He tells a story of traveling in a large convoy with a company of Iraqi soldiers to set up a healthcare facility in a neighborhood outside Baghdad.
"As our convoy rounded the corner, we were met by what seemed like a huge mob of angry protestors," he wrote. "Our interpreter quickly realized that they were not angry but celebrating our arrival. As we set up our security perimeter, people applauded, kids came up to brush off our boots and ladies sang. I got that lump in the throat as my emotions changed from alarm to appreciation."
He adds, "However, even with the celebration, we need to keep up our vigilance."
In fact, according to Joyce, Randy didn't want to leave when it was time for him to come home.
"He never said a bad word about what was going on over there," she said.
When he is not photographing or videotaping missions for the Air Force, Randy owns and operates a Cold Stone Creamery franchise in Carmel Mountain Ranch, Calif., where he lives with his wife, Debbie, and their two sons.
Randy's older brother, Steve, who graduated from Milan High School in 1980 and also served four years in the Marine Corps, is currently working in central Iraq as an independent contractor helping train Iraqi and American soldiers in the use of a new military vehicle.
Steve was "all anxious and excited" to go to Iraq because he wanted the experience, his family said.
A master scuba diver as well as an avid skydiver, Steve embraces adventure. He once rode his motorcycle on a solo trip to the Arctic Circle.
"He's quite an adventurous guy," David said.
"If there's something out there adventurous, he's on it," agreed Joyce.
Steve expects to return to Big Fork, Mont., where he owns a tool-and-die company and is a firefighter, sometime in late spring or early summer.
"Both of them feel real committed to what's going on over there," David said. "I've always said that's what they do for a living, but I'm not concerned about them at all. We believe in what they're doing."
Staff Writer Brian Cox can be reached at 429-7380 or .
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