SACO (WGME) -- Ten years after his first tour of duty in Iraq, one Maine veteran is heading to Washington D.C. to remember the fallen, and celebrate the survivors.
Justin Galipeau served in the United States Marine Corps from 2002 to 2006. He enlisted when he was 18-years-old in 2002. By January 2003, the then 19-year-old Galipeau was in Iraq, waiting for battle.
"You hit every emotion there is, from sadness to fear, to happy, excitement, everything," Galipeau said.
Galipeau fought in the Battle of Nasiriyah which started on March 23, 2003 outside of Baghdad, just days after the U.S. invaded Iraq. It is one of the deadliest battles for American troops since the Vietnam War.
"It feels like a dream at times," Galipeau said. "Other days you can visually see it. It's always in the back of your head, playing like an old video."
Galipeau will relive some of those memories this weekend. He's going to Quantico, Virginia for a 10-year reunion with the men he fought with during his two tours in Iraq.
"I think it will be a lot of tears, a lot of remembrance," said Galipeau.
On Thanksgiving Day in 2004, Galipeau and three other men in his squad were hit with an IED. He hurt his arm and back, which still give him trouble to this day. It earned him a Purple Heart, and, he says, a bigger heart.
"In some ways it's a good thing, because you come back here and you don't take anything for granted."
Galipeau is paying it forward to fellow veterans. He's very active in veterans services on the local and state level.
He'll also take a trip to Arlington National Cemetary on Sunday to honor the men and women who died in Iraq.
CLICK HERE for CNN's interactive map that documents all the fallen troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
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