The tattoo of a parachute and the word "Paratrooper" on Phoenix resident Brian Lewis' left forearm lets fellow veterans know he has been there, done that.

And the former member of the Army's 82nd Airborne Division isn't saluting Army Gen. David Petraeus' long awaited report this week on the war being waged in Iraq.

"I believe at this point the war is so politicized, so micromanaged out of the White House, that the generals who haven't complained and are still there are going to go along with whatever they are told to say," he said. "I don't think the American public is getting the real story."

"We're sacrificing our future, our kids," added Jhenna, his wife.

The Lewises are vocal members of Military Families Speak Out, a group of more than 3,600 military families nationwide opposed to the Iraq war.

Their son, Neil Lewis, 25, is a captain with the Army's 3rd Infantry Division on his first deployment to Iraq.

His unit was sent to Iraq in late March, part of what the Bush administration called the "troop surge" whose impact Petraeus has been addressing in his report to Congress in recent days.

Based at Salmon Pak, a town about 10 miles south of Baghdad, Capt. Lewis is scheduled to return home in July after 15 months in country.

"Neil is very proud of us speaking out," said his mother, an artist. "But he is also a soldier doing his job. He is over there. He is going to get it done."

"His thing is, 'I signed up. I took on the responsibility. I'm going to protect my men and do my duty,' " added Brian, a retired psychologist who helped train Army special forces in the buildup to the Vietnam War.

The Lewises hail from families with a tradition of serving in the military. One of Brian's brothers served in the 101st Airborne Division. An uncle, who was wounded in action in World War II, retired as an Army general.

They say their son is marching in his ancestors' footsteps. An intelligence officer as well as a Bradley fighting vehicle commander, he is a graduate of the New Mexico Military Institute and Sam Houston State University, majoring in criminal justice. His unit is based at Fort Benning, Ga.

Their son joined the military as one way to be an asset to his community, his mother said.

"We raised all our children to give back to the community, to help others," Jhenna said, noting they also have two daughters: Kara, 20, and Brianna, 13.

When Neil Lewis was preparing for deployment, his mother asked him what he needed.

"We always told him that if he or his men needed anything, just let us know," she said. "Because they were part of the surge, they only had three weeks to get properly working rifle scopes. Theirs didn't always work correctly."

His men also needed rifle cleaning kits, GPS units, desert socks, water purification tablets and other items.

"To outfit eight men cost $12,000," she said. "We raised all of that. And, mind you, it came from people who were against this war but supported the troops."

No one supporting the war contributed to the local fundraiser, she said.

"We were in dire straits to try to raise the money and get the equipment" before they were deployed, she added.

Their son, who they communicate with via telephone and the Internet, has had several close calls. He narrowly escaped being hit by a mortar while loading onto a helicopter in one area. In another incident, the top of his vehicle was nearly blown off by an IED (improvised explosive device).

"They are taking fire all the time," his father said.

Brian recalled one conversation in which their son said that when they go out on patrols they sometimes run into an IED placed between warring Shiite and Sunni factions. When the IED is detonated, both Iraqi factions often end up shooting at the Americans, he said.

"And when they go out on these missions to help the Iraqi Army by securing an area, the Iraqi soldiers are nowhere to be found," said the former paratrooper, shaking his head.

The couple, who have joined in local demonstrations against the war, hope that others who feel the same way voice their beliefs by joining the protests.

They also have suggestions for those who give them a hard time for their protests.

"When we're standing down there on the corner, don't flip us off," Jhenna said. "If you are going to flip us off, then get your a— over there to Iraq."

For more information on Military Families Speak Out, check out www.mfso.org  online.

Reach reporter Paul Fattig at 776-4496 or at pfattig@mailtribune.com