Onanole teacher hunkers down in Kuwait amid war

An Onanole man who is teaching in the Middle East says he generally feels safe despite the ongoing war in the region.

Jason Lorenowicz, 58, is a career overseas educator who is currently in his third year teaching in Kuwait, which is geographically located between Israel and southern Iran.

Lorenowicz told the Sun this week that he has experienced the sights and sounds of intercepted missiles, crying sirens and a grocery store panic buy since the war on Iran started on Feb. 28.

“Sometimes the missiles are intercepted in the airspace, and one was intercepted very near to us, and you could hear a boom,” Lorenowicz said in a phone interview on Wednesday.

“I mean, it was a real boom. And you could see the cloud of the smoke from the remains of the missile.”

After the initial shock of the war breaking out, Lorenowicz has been trying to assure his family members in Westman that he feels safe in Kuwait.

“The headlines read, ‘Kuwait gets hit with missiles and drones,’ but what they don’t say is that these are targeted areas,” Lorenowicz said.

“I’m looking out my window now, and life is going on as normal,” he said. “My daily life has really not changed very much, except for, you know, you have to be vigilant when you hear a siren.”

He added, “I’m not getting as much sleep this past week, that’s for sure.”

Lorenowicz said that the reality of the conflict sunk in when the country’s airport was first hit.

The international airport in Kuwait has now been struck on at least two occasions, with reports as recent as Thursday morning that the facility had been blasted by drones.

The latest strikes caused only material damage, without any casualties, reports said.

“If there was ever a part that I kind of felt like, ‘Oh boy, this is real and it’s happening,’ it was when the airport was hit by a missile,” Lorenowicz said. “I kind of thought, ‘Wow, OK, I am probably not going to be able to get out of here.’”

Air travel is the primary means of getting in and out of Kuwait because the country is bordered by Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia, Jason said, adding it is difficult to get a visa to traverse those countries.

CBS News reported that a separate strike at a tactical operations centre at a Kuwait port killed six U.S. service members and injured dozens in the early hours of the war.

Jason’s parents, John and Darlene Lorenowicz, said they have kept in close contact with their son since the war started. They can’t help but worry — but ultimately they trust Jason when he reports that things are better than they might sound in the news.

“It always feels better after we finish talking to him that, you know, he’s safe,” John said. “It just gives us more peace of mind when we talk to him as parents and … we can hear his voice.”

The parents, now in their 80s, get in touch with Jason almost every day. It’s comforting after seeing news reports of conflict in the area, they told the Sun.

“It’s always on your mind … When your mind drifts, you think of, how is he doing? What’s happening?” John said.

Jason’s wife, Caitlyn, keeps in touch on a daily basis. She does not get overly frightened by news reports because she has overseas experience as a teacher herself, Jason said.

Jason added that the mood has transformed since the start of the war; life has become more calm in Kuwait with the passage of time.

“I remember the first or second day, I went to the to the grocery shop and it … was just a zoo,” he said. “I thought, ‘OK, I’m not even gonna,’ because it was just crazy. And then when I went back, it was like a cyclone went through there. All the water was gone. All the bread was gone … I thought, ‘Oh, boy, this is, this is intense.’

“But now people, things seem to be getting a little bit quieter. We haven’t had a siren here in, I think, two days now, or a day and a half. And people are going about their business and they’re shopping as normal.”

The Westman resident’s return flight home is booked for June 11. Should the Kuwait airspace remain closed, he will try to leave the country through other channels, he said.

Jason has been teaching overseas for more than 30 years, including 16 years in the Middle East. He said he is sad to see the war break out as he has learned to love the geography, people and history of the region.

“To see all this happening is very saddening for me.”

He said he was also there during the second Gulf War and had to evacuate at that time.

» cmcdowell@brandonsun.com