Growing up on the 1500 block of Opal Street, near 20th and Tasker, David Townes lost two friends to street violence.
That’s more loss than the 21-year-old Army private first class has endured over the last five months stationed in war-torn Kandahar, Afghanistan.
The area of South Philly where Townes grew up isn’t a war zone, but that depends on how you define combat. The neighborhood has experienced a wave of violence this summer, which comes as little surprise to Townes.
"There’s a war going on everywhere. You can get killed at home or out here. I would rather die for a reason than die of something petty," he said.
The soldier takes comfort in the fact that if anything happened to him in the service, his daughter Nia Sebree, 14 months, and little sister Jannina Justice, 13, would be taken care of financially.
Townes believes his initiation to street violence prepared him for real-life warfare thousands of miles away.
"I felt like I was a soldier coming from the streets of South Philly before I joined the Army," he said via e-mail last week. "It’s crazy to say this, but it’s kind of good I saw that at a young age because where I am now, I see it every day so it’s not new to me. But for some guys, it’s kind of hard for them to swallow."
Townes’ mother, Jannina, who today lives on the 2100 block of South 20th Street, ran a tight ship.
David and Jannina Justice were not allowed to hang out on street corners growing up. Still, the private admits there was a time in his life when he wasn’t "productive."
"At a point in time you grow up and become a little smarter. I’m not taking nothing from the men still in the struggle, because the ‘hood is where you go through your tough times and experiences, but sometimes I look at crime as a part of life," he said.
"Yeah, it’s wrong, but that’s what some people only know. It might sound crazy, but it’s true. What keeps you alive out there is street smarts and good old common sense."
Jannina Townes described her son as "very respectable and intelligent — a very good kid."
"I raised David, but I couldn’t make a man out of him. The military made a man out of him. He grew and matured a lot," she said.
Neither of her children had it easy growing up, she said.
A single mother with two mouths to feed, Jannina worked in a meat factory. She sent David to St. Thomas Aquinas School, 18th and Morris streets. After one year at Southern High School, David graduated from Philadelphia Regional High School at 11th and Market.
"I was hard on him and it paid off. And I’m thankful for that. He’s never been locked up. How much can a mother ask out of a young man in the times we live in now?" Jannina posed.
As strict as Jannina was with her children, she said her mother, Shirley Townes, was even more of a disciplinarian.
"I had one of those old mothers. What she said was law and if you didn’t do it, you got your butt spanked," Jannina said. "She’s a very strong woman. And she made me that way. That’s how I can accept where David is and the things he’s doing in Afghanistan and I know he will be OK."
Five months ago, Townes was living in one of the most idyllic settings in the world at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, when he received word that he was being deployed to Afghanistan.
"I love Hawaii. It’s beautiful and I can’t wait to go back," the soldier said. "The thing I like most about Hawaii is that it’s peaceful and quiet but lots of fun. I live on the beach for free and you can’t beat it."
His new locale, which borders Iran and Pakistan, is about as far from paradise as it gets.
"Afghanistan is a very, very poor country," Townes said. "The poor people in the United States are richer than the people here. They still live in huts and villages and have very little electricity, but we’re trying our best to rebuild it and make it better for the people."
For the next couple of months, Townes’ focus will be base security to supervise workers and keep out intruders.
His duties include manning a gate guard post 12 hours on, 12 hours off. Townes’ previous missions included providing water, food and ammunition to other camps, and transporting wounded soldiers back to the main camp.
Working in a war zone with the knowledge that an attack could come at any moment causes more paranoia than fear of becoming a casualty, the soldier said.
Townes hopes he isn’t called to join the coalition forces in Iraq, but if he must, he’ll go in "good faith in God," he said.
"But to be for real, nobody really wants to go," the private added. "We are definitely getting our fair share over here — trust me, it’s not a joyride at all just because we don’t make the news as much as Iraq."
The media and public seem to view Afghanistan as a less hostile area because the death toll is lower than that in Iraq, the soldier said. Townes also believes the media focuses too much on the casualties in Iraq and not enough on the progress America is making there as well as in Afghanistan.
Early last month, Townes came home for two weeks of R&R.;
"It was good because you always need that reminder: Never forget where you come from, and I’m proud of where I come from," Townes said.
The soldier got to spend some time with his best friend/girlfriend of three years, Kai-Renee Cooper. Originally from Manhattan, Cooper attends college in Philadelphia. Townes credits her with keeping him focused.
"She has been there for me when times got hard and when I was ready to quit. She plays an important role in my life and I love her for that," he said.
The soldier asked the Review to give a shout-out to his best girl and close friends Telly, Gill, Ahmad, Gregory and Orlando — "because I don’t want them to think I forgot about them," Townes said.
Back home, Jannina Townes spends a lot of time worrying about her son. Every morning when she wakes up, she says a prayer for herself and one for David.
"All I can do is pray for his safety and his safe return," she said.
