ON THE USS BOXER IN THE GULF, 1 April 2003 — “People on board joke around with me, and like to give me a hard time,” says Philip Rafic Daou, a Lebanese American. But “a joke’s a joke, and I know they’re just kidding with me. No one has been critical of me as an Arab-American.”

Daou, 23, is a corporal in the US Marine Corps, and works in the supply section of the MAG (Marine Aviation Group) 16. He was born and raised in eastern Texas, but his father grew up in Beirut, Lebanon.

Daou said his father left Lebanon, in search of a better life during the 1976 Arab-Israeli War. “My grandparents were killed by an Israeli missile.”

He says his father worked hard to make a good life for himself in his new country, and met his wife in Mexico.

Daou was raised in a two-culture family, and remains a fan of both Lebanese and Mexican food. He has fond memories of his father taking him, and his younger brother, on weekly shopping sprees to a local Lebanese supermarkets.

Even now, when he’s not on this ship, Daou said he still tries to buy Arab food every week. This is his first trip to the Middle East. He has made plans to visit Lebanon after the war, even though much of his immediate family is scattered throughout the world:

“I have family in Syria, my aunt lives in Kuwait, another uncle lives in Oman, and the rest of my family is in Lebanon. I have a cousin in Paris and another cousin who owns a Lebanese restaurant in Frankfurt. I have another uncle that owns a beauty shop in Beverly Hills, California. So I’m very proud of my roots, and I regret that my father did not teach me Arabic. When this finishes, I’m going back to school to learn to read and write Arabic, so I can use it when I visit Beirut.”

That dream is on hold for now. Five years ago, Daou says he joined the Marines right out of high school. “I decided to join the Marine Corps for many reasons: One was for self-discipline, another was to defend my country,” he recites.

“My parents worked hard to raise us, and it was tough because they had no education, no college degree. So when my father learned that both me and my younger brother were joining the Marines, he was proud that we were doing something constructive with our lives.”

Daou claims he left Marine Boot Camp “a changed man. I came out a better person: more disciplined, more responsible, more competent.” Currently working toward a college degree, Daou is pursuing a double major in both Information Technology and Information Systems.

“I’ve been taking college courses since I joined the Marines, and plan to go to the University of Houston, Texas, when I get out. Then I’ll join the Marine Reserves, which will allow me to continue my education through a Marine program.”

When he learned he was coming out here, Daou said he was both excited and scared. As an Arab-American with family throughout the region, “it was necessary for me to work though all of the emotions I feel about this, which I started doing even before I came out here.”

“I have no feelings for the regime in Iraq, but I do have feelings for the people there. I really want to help the Iraqi people — because they’re Arabs, because they live in the Middle East and because I feel akin to them.”

Daou admits to feeling “some ambiguity about the mission,” and wishes it could have played out differently. “But,” he adds quickly, “I back up, one hundred percent, whatever our commander in chief has decided for us, because he’s a fellow Texan, and I voted for him.”