By ADAM P. BARR

Staff Writer

Louisiana's 38 dead soldiers in Operation Iraqi Freedom cause emotional turmoil as the growing number of casualties ignite sentiment for those lost and fighting.

Natalie Swinnen, the wife of soldier Mark Swinnen, a former Tech student, has lost a cousin and a friend to the war.

"I have a constant fear of a phone call or a knock at my door that will tell me my husband has died," Swinnen said.

She also said she has been affected immensely by the war in Iraq.

"It's an underlying fear about who is next," Swinnen said.

She said many people do not really know what is going on over there.

"Our generation is naive to what war is nowadays," Swinnen said.

It is not like World War II that Americans learn about in history; it is a war in that soldiers can not recognize their enemy walking down the street, Swinnen said.

"When people see others dying the reality of the situation comes to light," Swinnen said.

Matt Ratliff, a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom and a freshman in basic and career studies, said fighting in an environment of hostility and not knowing who is actually hostile is taxing on the mind.

"Each day I woke up I thought about the possibility of not going home," Ratliff said.

War is always hard and the soldier's mortality is always questioned, but the support from home is a constant reminder of why he or she is there, Ratliff said.

"I talked to my friends and family fairly regularly and told them I was OK," Ratliff said.

When SSgt. Robert Swinney III died in Iraq, Janice Hayes, his aunt and a Rapides Parish school teacher, said the community's support was overwhelming.

"We received cards, phone calls, and total strangers showing up at the door to give their condolences," Hayes said.

She also said her family is from a military background and lived in the far-east during Vietnam.

"We convinced ourselves that this wasn't like other wars because they live in trailers and have Internet," Hayes said.

Hayes said the family prayed every night with others in their community and looked to the Lord to protect their loved ones.

"We have such a strong faith, and it was such a shock to get the news of his death," Hayes said.

Hayes said her brother's only child and his legacy is gone.

"The people from 9/11 did not put their names on the dotted line to die for freedom, I did," Hayes said.

Robert Swinney, Jr., said his son joined the guard as a junior in high school and did not hesitate to answer his call.

At 22 years old SSgt. Swinney said that before he left for Iraq, "I wanted to go to establish democracy in another part of the world."