Iraq War Veteran Uses His Experience to Help Others

The last U.S. combat brigade left Iraq on August 20th. While there still are several troupes yet to return home from Iraq, others already are back in their hometowns, trying to settle into their former lives.  

Bed-Stuy native Atiba Marson-Quinones is an Iraq veteran who not only is fast settling back in to family life, but also has begun helping other vets transition from combat back to their to daily routines.

Quinones hailed from a family with a strong military background, however, he didn't grow up considering the armed services in his future.

"I had uncles who served in all branches of the armed services. And even though I grew up around vets, the military wasn't my goal," said Quinones.

After obtaining a degree in political science from Hunter College with a degree in Black and Latino Studies, Atiba still hadn't found his niche and so began to explore other options.

"I started analyzing my life and I promised my mom that if my brother completed boot camp, I would follow to watch over him," he said. With two younger siblings already in the armed forces, Quinones decided that joining the Navy was his calling after all.

After he was deployed in September 2005 and again in 2006, he was stationed in Southern Iraq for the majority of his tour. He left behind two daughters to take a position in detainee operations for a maximum-security prison. While the good outweighed the bad, Quinones insisted that there are positive images of the Middle Eastern nation.

"We as Americans were not made aware of how diverse [Iraq] is, even though I've witnessed a lot of poverty in the area," said Quinones. "This is a regrowing process for this country."

Aside from witnessing first-hand the deplorable conditions in Iraq, he was also dealing with his own hardships: "The personal dramas of being away from my family and dealing with the deaths of my aunt and godmother were hard," said Quinones. "I would speak to loved ones through email snippets, not to mention, I was missing out on birthdays."

"The only part I regret is being stationed all the way in California. I found myself flying back and forth across the country constantly."

Since his return to Bed-Stuy in 2009, he's using his experience and newfound knowledge to give back to his community. As a job coach for the , Quinones wears many hats.

"I am the outreach coordinator; I attend jobs and college fairs, along with assisting vets in understanding the benefits available to them," said Quinones. "We are also a listening ear, when vets just need someone to talk to."  

Local vets coming home have access to many resources and programs that may help them with finding employment, housing and medical services. Black Veterans for Social Justice services the entire tri-state area, but the center has received inquiries about its services from all the way in Georgia.

"Do we have the answers to every question? No. But we do try to help in all aspects."