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Since returning from his second and final tour of duty in Iraq, Greg Kurbatoff is enjoying life's simple pleasures.

Going to the grocery store. Walking down the beach. And sitting in traffic.

Say what?

Yes, sitting at a red light, part of an unplanned parking lot, going a mere 15 mph is something Kurbatoff savors about being home in Southwest Florida. After being part of a unit hunting for terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi for the past few months, the 36-year-old doesn't mind the inconveniences.

At least he doesn't have to worry about car bombs anymore.

"It's nice to sit at a red light without having to look around and worry about a car blowing up," said Kurbatoff, who was based in Ramadi as an infantry medic attached to the Bravo Company of Pennsylvania. "It's nice to feel safe."

While he's enjoying the unusual idiosyncrasies of freedom, Kurbatoff remains a big supporter of the war in Iraq. The rest of the country has soured with the war's taking so long. But Kurbatoff feels the troops need to stay as long as it takes to finish the job.

"I think we made a big mistake in Desert Storm when we left," Kurbatoff said. "Because of political pressure from home, we left the people to wallow, and if we left now, the people of Iraq would suffer. We provide a balance to the chaos. For now, it isn't a nation that could support itself."

U.S. Congressman Connie Mack agrees with Kurbatoff. Mack feels the troops should stay, and giving a deployment date would be detrimental to winning the war.

"The Democrats want to somehow telegraph to our opponents that, yeah, this is when we are leaving," Mack said. "If you're in the national championship game and I walk over and give the other coach the first 10 plays, what chance do we have to be successful?"

With fireworks and the Fourth of July celebration still fresh in our memory, Kurbatoff thinks Americans need to start waving the flag again. The former Navy man joined the National Guard after the Sept. 11, 2001, tragedy. He said back then Americans were gung-ho on finding the culprits responsible for that devastating and destructive day.

"When we first went in, everyone was hell-bent," Kurbatoff said. "After 9/11, everyone was hell-bent with American pride. There was an American flag on every car. Try to find one now. Where did it go? It's the same war.

"People have changed their positions," he added. "Ultimately, they support the soldiers, but I don't think their patriotism isn't as high anymore. I think patriotism is fleeting."

Kurbatoff reminds everyone that the U.S. brought the war to Iraq and we haven't been attacked here. He says we are doing well over there and the world is a better place without Saddam Hussein and his sons.

But as an only son, Kurbatoff knows his missions were tough on his mother, Diane.

"I felt guilty," Greg Kurbatoff said. "but I wasn't going to change anything. I still wanted to go and serve. I went on two tours so I put my mom through hell twice. It was something I had to do."

Thanks to e-mail and instant messaging, Kurbatoff communicated with his mother most every day while he was stationed in Iraq. But there were days when Diane was left wondering. There were days when she stared out the window of her Cape Coral home waiting for a military chaplain to knock on the door.

Her son made it home alive and she's thankful. But she says she would never have stooped to the levels of mothers such as Cindy Sheehan, who have been outspoken against the war.

"I remember when Greg was on his first tour of duty, he said, 'If something happens to me, don't dishonor my name because it's not going to bring me back, and honor the commitment I made to my country,' " Diane Kurbatoff said. "As a mother, that is hard, and I can understand her pain, but there comes a time she hurts the peace of mind that could eventually come to her."

"I signed the same paperwork as Cindy Sheehan's son did," Greg Kurbatoff said. "He knew what he was doing. She can't accept it . She has disrespected him and everything he gave as a soldier."

He added, "She's one of those people that I think is a waste of oxygen."

As Kurbatoff left Iraq, he received the best news of the war. Boarding a helicopter leaving Ramadi for Kuwait, he learned that al-Zarqawi had been killed.

For months, his unit had kicked in numerous doors, looking for the second most dangerous terrorist. Part of him hoped he wouldn't find him, since it was well known that al-Zarqawi and his henchman slept with explosive devices attached to their bodies. Part of him wanted him dead, regardless of the risk.

So, for Kurbatoff, the news came at an appropriate time. He had closure. And he said goodbye in his own way. He gave the city, the Iraqi insurgents and al-Zarqawi the finger.

It's a salute Kurbatoff reserves for war and those against the United States. It's not something he does while sitting in a Southwest Florida traffic jam.