Spring Break
From war zone to campus no easy move
After serving overseas, soldiers come home and return to lives on campus, in the classroom
Chelsea Anderson
Issue date: 3/2/07 Section: News
"It really set in for me when my son crawled up on me and wanted to hug me. That really got me. When I was deployed, I was [angry] because it coincided with my son's birth, and I missed everything," Lehmann said. "When my second son was born, I got to see everything I missed from my first, but it was at that moment that I realized how the war really affected me."
"For many, it's the moment that you step on the plane and you're leaving your loved ones behind," Dysart said. "For me, it was one of the first nights we were [in Iraq], and I woke up to a guy screaming in his sleep."
Lehmann, who plans to make his career in the military, does not wish for his children to take the same path.
"It's a hard lifestyle, and it really changes you," Lehmann said.
Phil Van Leuven, a senior and speech communication major, said his marriage suffered as a result of deployment.
"Many marriages end when husbands and wives get deployed," Van Leuven said. "My wife and I divorced shortly after I was deployed."
"You really have to talk," said Major Michael Daniels, professor of military science.
Ron Clement, a senior and sociology major, said his 3 1/2-year marriage has grown in strength since deployment.
"I know I'm a minority in that aspect," Clement said. "We just reevaluated our priorities, and our relationship has grown."
Clement, a National Guard soldier, spent six months in Texas and Louisiana taking part in the cleanup after Hurricane Katrina.
He then spent a month in Kuwait before deploying to Taji, a city 20 miles north of Baghdad, where he spent a year fighting.
Clement, whose father was in the military, said he has become a more responsible and an overall better person since serving.
Clement's wife, Kelly, said it was extremely hard to be away from her husband for the 19 months.
The National Guard, along with other military branches, creates programs to help families with loved ones who have gone overseas.
"For many, it's the moment that you step on the plane and you're leaving your loved ones behind," Dysart said. "For me, it was one of the first nights we were [in Iraq], and I woke up to a guy screaming in his sleep."
Lehmann, who plans to make his career in the military, does not wish for his children to take the same path.
"It's a hard lifestyle, and it really changes you," Lehmann said.
Phil Van Leuven, a senior and speech communication major, said his marriage suffered as a result of deployment.
"Many marriages end when husbands and wives get deployed," Van Leuven said. "My wife and I divorced shortly after I was deployed."
"You really have to talk," said Major Michael Daniels, professor of military science.
Ron Clement, a senior and sociology major, said his 3 1/2-year marriage has grown in strength since deployment.
"I know I'm a minority in that aspect," Clement said. "We just reevaluated our priorities, and our relationship has grown."
Clement, a National Guard soldier, spent six months in Texas and Louisiana taking part in the cleanup after Hurricane Katrina.
He then spent a month in Kuwait before deploying to Taji, a city 20 miles north of Baghdad, where he spent a year fighting.
Clement, whose father was in the military, said he has become a more responsible and an overall better person since serving.
Clement's wife, Kelly, said it was extremely hard to be away from her husband for the 19 months.
The National Guard, along with other military branches, creates programs to help families with loved ones who have gone overseas.
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