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 helped a lot while Ron was gone," Kelly said. "The other wives and I would get together every Friday night, and Ron and I would have 'date night' on Wednesdays. We would talk via Web cam or instant messaging."
Kelly described an incident when a bomb went off in the building where her husband was during their Web cam chats or phone calls.
"I just heard the explosion, and then there was dead silence," Kelly said. "My heart just stopped."
When soldiers are away from their families and loved ones, they develop close bonds with fellow soldiers within their units.
"Your relationships become very strong," Lehmann said. "You worry where everyone is going and when they are coming back."
"You develop a family," Dysart said. "It's really hard when you learn your 'battle buddies' are being sent somewhere else. You bond so much."
Many of the soldiers, when they return home, feel that the media has skewed what is shown to the public.
"One day I was watching CNN, and they were covering a story about a soldier that was killed by a car bomb. It was supposedly in our sector. It never happened. There are just so many inaccuracies in the media. Eighty percent of the time we were doing good things for the country, but all the media wants to focus on is the negative," Lehmann said.
The soldiers also spoke about how Hollywood changes the perspective of the public and that depictions of war are often distorted.
"Most of the time, all people have to go by is what they see in movies," Dysart said. "They actually believe it's like that, when in actuality, it's completely different."
Many soldiers have different views of returning to foreign countries for war.
"I hated it," Lehmann said. "But eventually I want to go back."
Van Leuven said, regardless of preferences, most soldiers don't have a choice.
"It's inevitable," Van Leuven said. "If it's not Iraq, it'll just be somewhere else."
Kelly described an incident when a bomb went off in the building where her husband was during their Web cam chats or phone calls.
"I just heard the explosion, and then there was dead silence," Kelly said. "My heart just stopped."
When soldiers are away from their families and loved ones, they develop close bonds with fellow soldiers within their units.
"Your relationships become very strong," Lehmann said. "You worry where everyone is going and when they are coming back."
"You develop a family," Dysart said. "It's really hard when you learn your 'battle buddies' are being sent somewhere else. You bond so much."
Many of the soldiers, when they return home, feel that the media has skewed what is shown to the public.
"One day I was watching CNN, and they were covering a story about a soldier that was killed by a car bomb. It was supposedly in our sector. It never happened. There are just so many inaccuracies in the media. Eighty percent of the time we were doing good things for the country, but all the media wants to focus on is the negative," Lehmann said.
The soldiers also spoke about how Hollywood changes the perspective of the public and that depictions of war are often distorted.
"Most of the time, all people have to go by is what they see in movies," Dysart said. "They actually believe it's like that, when in actuality, it's completely different."
Many soldiers have different views of returning to foreign countries for war.
"I hated it," Lehmann said. "But eventually I want to go back."
Van Leuven said, regardless of preferences, most soldiers don't have a choice.
"It's inevitable," Van Leuven said. "If it's not Iraq, it'll just be somewhere else."
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