Smart Salutes, Quiet Doubts at U. Md.
When the commander calls, campuses respond.
Katie Gallagher
By Katie Gallagher
Special to Line of Departure
Katie Gallagher
Special to Line of Departure
[Editor’s Note: Katie Gallagher is a junior majoring in print journalism at the University of Maryland’s Philip Merrill College of Journalism. This article is the second of a series offering a perspective on military issues from the college perspective.]
When President Barack Obama delivered his long-awaited decision on whether to reinforce U.S. troops in Afghanistan, he was addressing a wide audience, including the American people, U.S. troops in the warzone, the Afghan people, and in College Park, Maryland as well as at campuses around the country, a significant number of new recruits, who are likely to be the next to carry out their commanders orders.
Ready to Serve
RTOC Cadets at University of Maryland — Army Photo
For Ross Scarcia, an Army ROTC cadet at the University of Maryland, the news of potential deployment to the war zone does not come as a shock. “I wouldn’t mind going over there,” Scarcia, a junior at the University of Maryland said. “I feel like you don’t join the army to not deploy.”
Scarcia, 20, says cadets in his unit maintain an ideology of living in the present and that the politics surrounding the President’s decision is not an issue of debate within the ROTC program. “It’s kind of a touchy subject because we’re soldiers and our commander in chief is the President,” he said.
Scarcia is an archetypal soldier right down to his ramrod bearing and crew-cut hair. Serving the country is a soldier’s desire, he says, and if that includes deployment then he and his comrades will salute smartly. “It’s our duty. We kind of sound like zombies, but we do what we’re told,” he said.
A Sailor’s View 
At the United States Naval Academy, Midshipman Second Class Ashley Fischer, doesn’t see it as matter of blind acceptance, and notes that President Obama’s announcement has the famous Yard in Annapolis buzzing.
Fischer’s own curiosity and interest in the conflict pours out of her as she explains the feeling around campus. Her eager eyes, yet assured speech, come across as purposely, reflective, and resolute.
She finds to be the general attitude on campus neither positive nor negative, but one of heightened interest in the conflict. “There haven’t been any negative comments and then again no one’s really excited, but that’s our duty and we’re just taking it as it comes,” she said.
As a newly-minted naval officer, Fisher is almost certain to be deployed, though she could be on a ship far from the fighting. Given her choice, she says, she’d rather serve on the front lines in Afghanistan where some of her Marine classmates will likely end up.
“You come in here knowing what to expect, and from the Academy we graduate as line officers and they are the ones directly involved in the war,” the 21-year-old, political science major said.
Like many in the military, Fischer would have liked to seen a quicker decision from the President to give Gen. McChrystal the troops he said he needs to prevent failure, but Fischer considers the conflict from both a warrior’s and diplomat’s perspective. “People are wondering, what are we expecting from this conflict in Afghanistan and Iraq and what will this mean for our economics and national security,” she said. “I think that comes from more of a diplomacy standpoint, in the long run will it be worthwhile for our country to be over there?”
A Marine’s Faith
The President’s decision seemed to draw the most support from former Soldiers and Marines.
Michael Burns, 29 and former corporal in the Marine Corps, was pleased to see the President respond to McChrystal’s requests, even if the announcement, in his view came a little late. “I was proud that he actually followed through with that, although that was not his original goal,” Burns said.
Burns said since the announcement his conversations with fellow former Marines have been unanimously positive, while those with people who have not served have been mostly negative.
“Talking to the people who have served and have seen what’s going on in Afghanistan and Iraq, they understand the job over there and that we have to finish what we started, if we pull out now there’s going to be a lot of repercussions,” he said.
Burns comes across as humble, but positive, and in that way he demonstrates that the war will not necessarily break the average American. He has an unfailing faith and belief in the military has carried over in the years since his deployment.
Serving as a scout in a light armor reconnaissance unit, his attitude reflects a clear-eyed balance of reality and hope. “In my eyes it’s just continuing the job that this country has done for hundreds of years. In the Gulf War, we pulled out and left everything in shambles,” he said.
Burns said the bitterness left over from the first Gulf War was evident in older Iraqi men during the time of his service, but that younger Iraqis were so happy and relieved that Americans were helping them overcome a regime built around terror.
“The outcome was that we got a dictator out of office, its hard to believe sometimes watching all of the bodies come home, but in my opinion the means justify the ends,” Burns said.
The Human Cost
President Obama, Dover AFB, Oct. 29, 2009 USAF Photo by Jason Minto
The bodies returning home are exactly what most frighten 20-year-old Dana Hammer.
Hammer’s brother Ryan, 23, is a second lieutenant in the Air Force. After graduating from the University of Maryland’s ROTC program, he was first stationed in Santa Barbara, Calif., but has since trained in Texas and now is stationed in Louisiana.
Hammer’s eyes are filled with the fear that only an immediate family member of a soldier could even begin to understand. Her brother’s every phone call, letter and email home are just another confirmation that his future is not secure and all at once, the communication could stop. The emotions spill out in the sadness of tears and the bursts of anger.
Hammer says the reality truly set in when she received word that her brother’s former unit in Santa Barbara was deployed to Iraq.
While Hammer says her brother loves his chosen career, her family’s feeling of uncertainty is as constant as the tick of the clock.
“My mom and I talk about it and then we start crying,” the junior at the University of Maryland said. “The unexpected is really scary; my family is so close, so just the thought of it is too much sometimes.”
Hammer says she doesn’t like getting caught up in politics, but the thought of her brother’s seemingly imminent deployment has made the war personal. “I’d rather not send any more troops over there. That would bring peace of mind for me.”
Tags: Obama, React, ROTC, Speech, Troops
