Soldiers return to campus to become students once again
Destiny Remezas
Daily
Egyptian
In the past two weeks Southern Illinois has been rocked by three deaths
of its native sons. All were killed in Iraq, and the war's impact is
currently being felt at SIUC were there 80 students on military leave.
Some are stationed in Iraq while others are dispersed throughout the
country at military training facilities. Since the start of the war
during the spring semester of 2003, 53 students who were deployed off
campus have returned.
Cynthia Hanson, veterans coordinator for SIUC, has been keeping a tally
of the students who are sent either abroad to fight in Iraq or are
stationed at bases across the nation. She has no way of knowing where
students go, however, after they are deployed.
It was six weeks into the semester when he got his papers. But Sgt.
Jason White said he was not surprised because, to him, it was a matter
of when he would get called into service, not if.
White is one of the many students at Southern Illinois University
Carbondale that have returned to the University after being on military
leave.
The junior in political science spent 16 months, some of which was in
Iraq, away from not only the University, but also his wife and son. At
26 years old, White struggled with being away from his fledging family.
He said the situation added extra stress for his wife, who is also a
student at the University, because she had to take care of their son and
deal with an illness in her family.
"She's very strong and independent as it is, but she got through it and
stayed enrolled," White said. "She was able to persevere."
However, the preliminary shock of the situation was not what he had to
go through to get relieved from the University, White said, but when he
started his initial training.
There was no problem returning his books to any of the bookstores and
the University also gave him refunds on part of his tuition, White said.
"It was a good experience," White said. "I credit it to the University,
for knowing they have a strong military appeal."
Students who leave for military service are generally counseled by
Veteran's Educational Services about leaving and what options they have,
Hanson said.
"They're not going to be penalized and their benefits will be there when
they return," Hanson said.
Hanson said academics on military leave often return to the University
with little need to readjust to the rigors college life.
"Getting a degree is one thing they set their minds to when they get
back," Hanson said.
While White said his transition back to academic life was not too bad,
he said it would have been smoother if he took more time off to adjust.
"It's amazing, the simple habits you loose in a short period of time,"
White said. "It was rougher than I anticipated."
In fact, White, knowing he would soon be returning to the United States,
applied for re-entry to the University while still in Iraq.
White missed a total of three semesters while on military leave, which
put his wife ahead of him in school. He was planning on graduating the
same time as his wife so they could continue their education together in
Florida.
"We may have to be separated," White said. "That by far is the biggest
set back we had from deployment."
A study from the New England Journal of Medicine found that 15 percent
to 17 percent of veterans who have been deployed to Iraq showed symptoms
of depression, anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder.
However, White said that while he has not had any major psychological
damage, he does have small side effects from the war.
"The biggest I've had is walking around campus and worrying about a
building blowing up," White said.
[Macro error: Can't include because the file is larger than 32767 characters.]
Today's News | Sports | Voices - Editorial | Letters
Newsbriefs | pulse - Arts & Entertainment | Calendar | Photo Staff
Apts & Rentals | Photo Personals | Live DE NewsCam | Classified Ads
Last update: Thursday, September 30, 2004 at 4:27:01 AM
Copyright 2009 Daily Egyptian
|
Daily Egyptian 
