CHELSEA, Maine — Watching hundreds of members of the Army's 82nd Airborne Division deploy as reinforcements amid growing tensions in the Middle East is deja vu for a veteran from Chelsea who served with the elite force.
Matt Hamel served in Iraq with the Army's 4th Brigade, 25th infantry division. His unit patrolled Baghdad and other parts of the country for insurgents responsible for planting the roadside bombs. Many of the suspects taken into custody were linked to Tehran, long before Iran's rise as a power player in Iraq.
Hamel was later was assigned to the 82nd Airborne's Immediate Response Team and served two tours in Afghanistan. Hamel says it's hard to see the ramp-up for another potential conflict in Iraq.
"We have been there almost two decades, nothing is getting better, it's back and forth, it's nothing you can win," Hamel said.
Hamel, who struggled with re-entering civilian life when he returned home to Maine. He runs a non-profit to help homeless veterans back on their feet. He collects and donates household and personal items for veterans in need.
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