State Sen. Mike Rush Returns to Westwood

He's been back on U.S. soil since early December, and on Monday night, State Sen. Mike Rush returned to Westwood first-hand to greet the Board of Selectmen and give an overview of his experiences serving in Iraq last year.

"The toughest job in the military is being a military spouse," said Rush, who  last year, leaving his wife and 5-month-old daughter at home. "She had to figure out quite a bit of parenting on her own."

But it wasn't the only challenge he faced serving overseas. Rush, who represents Westwood, gave a brief overview of his experience to the Selectmen Monday night, showing photographs from his journey and explaining his living conditions. 

"It's a little bit unique for a legislator to be called to active duty," Rush explained to the Selectmen, adding that currently, 63 legislators serve. "It's certainly not out of the norm. I lived in the International Zone [in Baghdad]. There were several bases there, and the U.S. Embassy is there."

Rush, a Navy reservist for 16 years, served with U.S. Army and Air Force personnel in an effort to cease terrorist attacks, as well as helped train Iraqis on intelligence gathering and investigation procedures. Since returning to the United States in December, he has worked with a NATO unit at a navy base in Newport, Rhode Island. 

Rush's journey began in Newport, eventually leading him to a Navy processing site in Norfolk, Virginia. He ultimately ended up in Kuwait to get acclimated. 

"I was in one of the last waves of navy personnel coming home and one of the last waves as the war came to an end," Rush said. "We had to build an army from scratch, and part of that was having the Iraq special operations forces. It was the experience of a lifetime to work with the Iraqis every day."

As a token of his gratitude, Rush granted the Selectmen an encased American Flag that was flown over Iraq on Veterans Day 2011 in appreciation of the town's support to its veterans. Rush was among the special forces troops who flew in the helicopter with the flag.  

And in turn, the Selectmen honored Rush with a commemorative brick that will be placed with others like it at Veterans Park. 

State Rep. Paul McMurtry (D-Dedham) was also on-hand Monday night, and was joyful to have his colleague back in the area. 

"Coming up on my fifth year, four of those I had the opportunity to work closely with Senator Rush," McMurtry said. "We shared many shared interests, and those opportunities evolved into a friendship. I'm re-energized, and excited that he's back in service."