PELHAM — Dale Robeck is glad the sweltering heat of Iraq is behind him, along with the constant fear of being blown up.
The 40-year-old Pelham police officer is back patrolling the town after a six-month deployment in Iraq, where he was involved in maintaining military checkpoints. He also carried out military construction projects as a petty officer second class in the Navy Seabee Reserve, the construction battalion.
"It's a great feeling to be back to normalcy and doing what I love," he said. "Here, you can drive down the street and have your arm out the window and not have to be worried about being shot."
But that's not true for Iraqi citizens and the soldiers over there, who live in fear of being blown up or shot, Robeck said.
The threat of being struck by mortar fire was on Robeck's mind as he went on convoys from one checkpoint to another, he said. He also traveled to different military sites, including Baghdad, where he and a few other Seabees spent two weeks building a tactical operations center for the Army.
Some of the checkpoints had been hit by mortar fire a month before Robeck started helping maintain them.
"It's something you worry about, but you have to concentrate on your mission," he said.
Robeck said the whole building he was staying in on a military base shook when a mortar shell went off about 70 or 80 yards behind the building.
"It was the only close call we had," he said. "We had a few mortar attacks on the perimeter of the base. But one mortar that landed behind our compound actually shook the whole building. It felt like a small earthquake."
The heat was a problem, Robeck said.
"Temperatures ranged from 120 to 130 degrees," he said. "While you were working, you had to make sure to take breaks in sun tents and drink plenty of water."
He credited the Pelham Police Department for all its support during his deployment in Iraq. Police Chief Joseph Roark said he is happy Robeck returned home safely and is back on duty.
Robeck was back on patrol Aug. 17. He joined the Pelham Police Department as a patrolman Sept. 25, 2006. He grew up in the Portsmouth area.
He said he felt good about being part of a military effort to help stabilize Iraq and allow democracy to develop there.
"I definitely feel we're winning the war on terrorism and we're making headway, but it's going to take time," he said.
As a member of the Navy Seabee Reserve since 1999, this is the second time Robeck has been activated for duty. The first time was at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, where he was deployed for a year after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
