Army Reservist Dennis Mawn Returns to Norwood Fire Department After a Year in Iraq-February 13, 2012

Norwood firefighter Dennis Mawn, returned in December after serving on a second tour of duty in Iraq.

Dennis Mawn returned to work at the Norwood Fire Department with two tours of duty under his belt and a new honor: the Defense Meritorious Service Medal.

Army Master Sgt. Mawn, 43, served with Joint Forces Special Operations Component Command-Iraq in Iraq from Dec. 16, 2010 to Nov. 20, 2011. He went back to the fire station on Monday, Feb. 6, 2012. Mawn served under Brig. Gen. Darsie Rogers. He was responsible for the protection of Rogers during all off-base movement.

’’Once you got into the swing of things, it wasn’t very difficult to do, it was just dangerous,” Mawn said of his responsibility in Iraq.

He was required to establish a protection team, organize route reconnaissance and ensure all paths to the general’s destination were clear. Mawn said at times it could be stressful especially once they left the gates of their base in the Baghdad area, near the green zone.

Before returning home in December, Mawn was awarded the Defense Meritorious Service Medal for exceptionally meritorious service as the protective security officer to the commanding general. Mawn said he was honored to receive the award, especially because of whom he received it from.

“It wasn’t so much the medal, it was receiving it from my boss (Gen. Rogers). I have been in the army for 24 years, and I have never met a more dynamic and charismatic leader than this guy,” Mawn said.

The Norwood Firefighter and Medic said his last tour was drastically different than his tour in Iraq in November 2002 to August 2005. During that tour he was serving as a first sergeant with the army as a member of the 94th Military Police Company.

“I had 166 soldiers to be responsible for. I was the senior non-commissioned officer of the company. In this tour, I worked directly for the (joint forces) commander through his aide, and I was responsible for no soldiers on a day-to-day basis,” Mawn said.

Mawn was also stationed in Bosnia in 2000-2001 and as part of Operation Desert Storm in 1991. He joined the Army reserves on March 3, 1988.

Mawn said he’s received a lot of media attention regarding his sendee, but stressed he’s not the only Norwood resident who has served with the military in the past 10 years.

“I’m humbled and embarrassed by all the attention I get simply because I’m with the Norwood Fire Department,” Mawn said and added that he is one of over 30 soldiers from Norwood to serve in Iraq and Afghanistan.

This number includes several members of the police and fire department. At least eight members of the Norwood Police Department and two other members of the Norwood Fire Department in Jerry Mahoney and Chris Carnpilio served in Iraq and Afghanistan. In addition, the sons of two firefighters, Dan Henry and Dan Breen, have served.“The Fire Department has a vested interest in the war,” Mawn said.

Mawn said while he gets a lot of attention, other Norwood soldiers like brothers Paul and Mike Sheehan and brothers Pat and Nick Vardaro deserve recognition as well. He described those serving as the true one percent, noting very few people make the choice to serve the country in the army.

“Less than one percent of this country has been fighting these wars in Iraq and Afghanistan for ten years now,” Mawn said, adding, “The war is going on. The war is not over. There are still Norwood kids fighting it.”

Norwood firefighter Dennis Mawn, returned in December after serving on a second tour of duty in Iraq.

Source: https://www.wickedlocal.com/story/transcript-bulletin/2012/02/ 13/army-reservist-dennis-mawn-returns/38852583007/