Josh Koch enlisted in the National Guard seven months before 9/11. On Friday, he spoke about his military service at Valparaiso’s annual Veterans Day program.
In 2005, he deployed to Iraq with the 113th Engineer Battalion.
“I was 21 years old. Young, uncertain and unaware of what lay ahead, I didn’t know what to expect, but I know I didn’t expect Mosul to be the size of Washington, D.C., with a population of Houston, Texas. It was a city full of life and full of danger,” Koch said.
Before going to Iraq, he was stationed in Kuwait.
“While eating dinner at the base in Kuwait, the news happened to be on, and they were reporting on a suicide bomber who detonated their vest in the chow hall at Forward Operating Base Marez in Mosul, Iraq, killing 22 people, one of the deadliest attacks on a U.S. military installation during the Iraq War. We didn’t know it at the time, but that was exactly the base we were going to,” he said.
“That moment changed the tone of our deployment before it even began,” he said.
“One of the jobs I had was being an M88 operator. It’s a beast of a vehicle with a boom and a winch to recover vehicles that were struck or destroyed.”
U.S. Army veteran Josh Koch was the featured speaker during the Veterans Day ceremony at the Duty and Service Memorial at Foundation Meadows in Valparaiso, Indiana, Friday, Nov. 7, 2025. (Andy Lavalley/for the Post-Tribune)
The battalion was tasked with building a berm of almost 70 square miles around Mosul with bulldozers and other heavy equipment. “The idea was to reduce the number of components coming into the city that were used to make IEDs,” he said, by forcing traffic through checkpoints.
The unit worked through the night and sometimes got stuck to the point that Koch and his M88 were called to help out.
“Not long after being in Iraq, my battle buddy volunteered me and him to be on the team for our battalion commander. The lieutenant colonel had companies located at different FOBs (forward operating bases) and needed to get them,” Koch said. “He also had frequent meetings at another base, which happened to be one of Saddam’s old palaces.”
The tactical assault team was his escort. “We were a convoy of four Humvees with at least three soldiers in each of them.” Koch was the gunner.
“Although it was dangerous work, it had its perks. I was able to see more of Iraq and its history, visit the palace on the Tigris River and eat hot food in the chow hall,” he said.
“During my time there, I witnessed a historical moment for the Iraqi people in their 2005 elections, the first democratically held election following Saddam’s fall from power.”
Koch visited several vacant warehouses that were going to be used to store ballots before the election. Some of the warehouses would be decoys.
Cooks Corners elementary fifth-grader Liam Hayes, 11, covers his heart during the Veterans Day ceremony at the Duty and Service Memorial at Foundation Meadows in Valparaiso, Indiana, Friday, Nov. 7, 2025. Third, fourth and fifth graders from the school’s student council were able to attend this year’s ceremony. (Andy Lavalley/for the Post-Tribune)
“I saw incredible courage in the Iraqi people, risking their lives to vote and be heard, fully aware they might be targeted for doing so,” he said. “Courage isn’t just running toward danger; it’s choosing to hope when hope feels impossible.”
Koch understood danger. When he arrived, in the middle of the night, he was put in something like a dump truck with high sides to protect the troops from attack while driving across the road from one base to another.
His accommodations were more than accommodating. He lived in a CHU, a cubic housing unit, with two per CHU. “The base was one of Saddam’s old military bases,” Koch said, replete with a gym, basketball courts and more. Toby Keith performed. “They even had pool tables and all kinds of entertainment,” Koch said.
Outside the wire, though, he had to be alert.
“Sometimes it was almost like a parade on certain streets,” he said, with children waving to the soldiers, hoping for candy or water bottles.
Members of the Valparaiso Police Department honor guard retire the colors during the Veterans Day ceremony at the Duty and Service Memorial at Foundation Meadows in Valparaiso, Indiana, Friday, Nov. 7, 2025. (Andy Lavalley/for the Post-Tribune)
Koch was constantly scanning for danger. “As a gunner, there were situations where we were attacked, and a lot of times you don’t know where that fire’s coming from,” he said. “You just have to be vigilant and aware all the time.”
The enemy strung wire under bridges in hopes of decapitating gunners. Koch’s team welded a steel post onto the front of the Humvee to break the wire. The enemy responded by attaching charges that would blow if the wire were broken. After that, Koch would duck into the Humvee, his flak jacket protecting him until they safely passed under the wire.
“It’s a part of life I wouldn’t change, he said. “I’m glad I experienced it.”
Koch’s experience in the war shaped his life. He still gets nervous going under overpasses sometimes.
Cooks Corners elementary librarian Kristin Burlingham looks on along with students during the Veterans Day ceremony at the Duty and Service Memorial at Foundation Meadows in Valparaiso, Indiana, Friday, Nov. 7, 2025. Third, fourth and fifth graders from the school’s student council were able to attend this year’s ceremony. (Andy Lavalley/for the Post-Tribune)
He appreciates his family all the more for their support during one of the hardest times of his life, sending packages to him to help him maintain his morale.
“Veterans still need support here back at home,” Koch said. Many groups help support veterans by lobbying on behalf of their benefits and helping the veterans navigate the Veterans Administration programs.
“Here in Valpo, we’re lucky. We’ve got folks who honor and support veterans,” he said. “While it’s a nice gesture to donate and volunteer, sometimes the most meaningful thing you can do for veterans is to ask them questions and genuinely listen to their stories.”
He encouraged veterans to start telling their story. “Your story matters. It’s a part of our nation’s story.”
“Freedom isn’t something we inherit. It’s something we earn, protect and live out every day,” Koch said.
City Administrator Bill Oeding, a U.S. Navy veteran, filled in for Mayor Jon Costas, who was out of town on city business.
Jacob Olson and his wife Misty, of Winfield, look on as their daughter Justine signs the National Anthem during the Veterans Day ceremony at the Duty and Service Memorial at Foundation Meadows in Valparaiso, Indiana, Friday, Nov. 7, 2025. (Andy Lavalley/for the Post-Tribune)
Gesturing to the memorial listing the names of veterans and first responders killed in the line of duty, Oeding said, “When election day comes around, you have the duty to vote. You have the requirement to vote. Men and women on this wall gave their lives so you can vote. Go vote. By not voting, you’re disrespecting them, and you’re disrespecting the men and women who serve today.”
A group of students from Cooks Corners Elementary School walked to the service memorial to join in. Liam Hayes, a fifth grader, said afterward the service was “beautiful” and that he was glad he was able to take time to be there.
Doug Ross is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/07/valparaiso-veterans-day-service-features-iraq-war-veteran/