ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER

After serving five months of a year-long service in Iraq training police forces, Brandon Shoemaker says he realizes now what life is truly like in the Middle East.

"My perception is totally different," Shoemaker said. "What you see on TV and what's happening over there are two totally different things."

The once Selma Police Department detective left town last January to pursue a dream. Never having served in the military was always a regret for Shoemaker, whose family has roots in the armed forces. An opportunity arose through a State Department program, in which he was able to help the war effort as a non-sworn law enforcement trainer.

"I think it takes an impressive type of man to do something like this," said his wife, Renee.

Shoemaker returned home on Thursday for a three-week leave. He reflected back on his experiences thus far, with a broadened perspective on the situation overseas.

He shows some disregard for some of the mass media's portrayal of the war efforts, saying too often only the negative elements are the focus of their attention.

Instead, he says he wants people to realize the success and progress that has occurred in Iraq -- much of which he's seen first-hand.

"There are schools that are opening back up, hospitals are being reconstructed, infrastructure is being rebuilt," he said.

Just in the five months he's been there, Shoemaker believes that the local sentiment of many Iraqis in Baghdad has improved.

"There has been lot more cooperation with the Iraqi people and police forces," he said.

Shoemaker just about cried when his first class of Iraqi police forces graduated basic training.

One of the students later said he didn't think he would be alive today without the training Shoemaker offered him -- and that is the reason why Shoemaker says he's in Iraq.

"I wouldn't trade this experience for anything," Shoemaker said. "It's definitely been more rewarding than anything I've ever done in my career."

During his first months in the Middle East, he taught basic training classes. Now, he teaches two 2-week courses to the higher-ranking Iraqi police officers, who in turn pass on training curriculum to their subordinates. It's the "teach a man to fish" concept.

The process hasn't been entirely easy, though. Language barriers are one of his biggest obstacles, he says. With three different dialects throughout the country -- northern, southern and classical Arabic -- sometimes he would have to use several translators, and his instructions would literally get lost in translation.

"You realize that we take a lot of things granted here in the States," Shoemaker said. "If you need something to buy, you just go down to the store and buy it. It really makes you appreciate what you have."

Like most military personnel, Shoemaker has kept in touch with his family via the Internet. He would often see images of his kids using "Web cams," and talk to his wife using instant messaging.

Despite the convenience and immediacy of new technology, he still made an effort to send his wife hand-written letters on a regular basis.

Years ago, when his stepfather was overseas, he remembers how his worried mother would receive letters in the mail.

"Her day would lighten up when she opened the mail box and saw a letter from him," Shoemaker said.

Likewise, he uses the nostalgic art of letter-writing to brighten each day for his own wife. It came in handy during days she didn't hear from him.

Often plagued by power outages, Shoemaker would temporarily lose his ties to the outside world without the Internet.

"I'm handling this better than I thought," Renee said. "Though, when he doesn't call, I turn on CNN."

Shoemaker plans a final return from Iraq in October, when his wife will be participating in a three-day Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer walk in San Diego. Plans are to arrive the day she crosses the finish line, which also coincides with her birthday. But not before returning to Iraq for several more month of training forces. There's still a lot of work yet to be done, he says.

"I think people take freedom for granted," Shoemaker said. "They want the same exact thing we do."

This reporter can be reached a jrue@pulitzer.net