Shawn Tabankin watched President Bush’s speech closely because of what Bush had to say about Iraq – and about Army reservists like him.
“Any plan that relies more on Iraqi forces than on American forces is a step in the right direction,” he said watching the prime-time televised speech in his Upper East Side apartment.
As a platoon leader and a member of the “Fighting 69th” of the Army National Guard, Lt. Tabankin spent most of 2004 in Iraq’s Sunni Triangle.
And he was glad he won’t be among those troops heading back to the battlefield.
“I’m 32 years old. I’ve spent roughly 10 years in the Army now. I’m ready to start a career,” said Tabankin, who graduated from New York Law School last fall.
Tabankin was pleased with Bush’s effort to have Iraqi forces begin taking over the security load.
“They all speak Arabic. They all know the culture. They all know where people are likely to hide things. They all know if somebody’s lying,” he said.
During his time in the Balad region, Tabankin had one interpreter in his platoon.
“The Iraqi army has the potential to be 1,000 times more effective for that reason alone,” he said.
Tabankin and his girlfriend, Jenn Yandoli, 26, who also watched the speech, were concerned that Bush would announce a change in National Guard deployment policy.
As it stands now, Tabankin can only be asked to volunteer to serve again – and he’d say no.
“I think it’s fine what Bush wants as long as Shawn isn’t volunteering to go back,” said Yandoli.