By Lori EhdeLuverne High School graduate Jennnifer Iveland is playing a big role on the front lines of the war in Iraq.Sgt. Iveland is a mental health specialist in the Army Reserve’s 785th Medical Company out of Fort Snelling.Specifically, she’s working as a stress counselor for troops in combat zones of Baghdad."We give them the opportunity to talk about their experiences and we try to help them normalize their reactions," Iveland said in an e-mail interview with the Star Herald Tuesday.In the Civil War, it was "melancholia," World War II soldiers were "shell shocked," and Vietnam veterans suffered from "post-traumatic stress disorder."Today, it’s called "combat stress," and the U.S. military and mental health professionals have learned it’s best to deal with it in the field, as close as possible to the fighting.That’s where Iveland comes in.She and three others from her company spent a week earlier this month in Sadr City, a Shiite neighborhood of Baghdad where eight U.S. soldiers were killed and 52 were wounded.Iveland and her team arrived at the scene a few hours after the first casualties and began working with the group that lost four of 10 men."Seeing them suffer has been difficult," Iveland said. "Many have seen a lot of combat and been through traumatic experiences, and it can be hard to see them in such emotional pain."Iveland, who has been in Iraq since February, said working with the soldiers involved in the Sadr City ambush is the hardest thing she’s done yet."Many of the guys we talked to lost their leaders, fellow soldiers and best friends in that ambush," she said.She describes the most challenging part of her job as trying to get the word out to the different military units that Combat Stress Control resources are available."Many of the soldiers we have come in contact with did not even know that they could get help in dealing with the combat and occupational stress they were dealing with," Iveland said.From the most difficult experiences, Iveland is finding the deepest professional rewards."Seeing the changes in the soldiers from when we first meet them can be remarkable," she said. "Dealing with the soldiers who were involved with the ambush at Sadr City has been my most rewarding experience."When we left that group after spending a week at their camp, so many of them thanked us for being there, and several said they did not know how they could have made it through without us."When asked if her work is putting her in harm’s way, she said, "We are definitely in harm’s way. We are hit by mortars and rockets on a consistent basis. One rocket hit about 75 feet from our house and blew out all the front windows. Luckily no one was hurt."When she and her co-workers are not in their quarters, they carry M-16s, just in case."Any time we go out on convoys we have to be especially aware of our surroundings," she said. "We constantly scan for IEDs (improvised explosive devices) and suspicious activity."Iveland, daughter of Dan and Deb Iveland, Luverne, is a 1996 graduate of Luverne High School and has a psychology degree from Moorhead State University.While Deb speaks of her daughter’s work with pride and respect, she tries to downplay her deepest maternal worries about her daughter’s safety."It makes me so proud of Jenn being in it, but it’s a bad situation that makes her do it," Deb said.She said they communicate via e-mail once every three or four days, but if five or more days go by without word, the anxiety mounts.But they try not to let on how much they worry.Iveland told her parents how important it is to her that they’re supportive of her work there. She said a young 19-year-old in her unit shared with the group prior to departure that she was struggling with the upcoming leave, because every time she talked to her parents all they did was cry."So, I have to bite down on the insides of my cheeks to keep from crying, because I know she needs us to be strong," Deb said."With everything she’s dealing with over there, the last thing she needs to worry about is her family at home."So they pray. And the community prays.Deb said people in her church and around Luverne tell her all the time how much they’re thinking about Jenn and praying for her.She said she believes with every prayer spoken, God releases an angel."I told Jenn one time that she’s carrying a lot of weight on her shoulders," Deb said, "but it’s not just the weight of the world, it’s all those angels perched on her shoulders."She said "Pray For Our Troops" magnets are now available in Luverne at the Luverne Style Shop, Pizza Ranch and Korner Gas Stop.