Viewpoint: Soldier's life on hold waiting for orders
by David Repp, Reporter

    The next time you walk down the halls of TCC, look around. You might be surprised to know some of the people you are looking at serve in the U.S. military. I am one of those people. I am a soldier in the U.S. Army Reserve.
    Being in the Army comes with many benefits. I get money for college, invaluable training and the pride that comes with serving my country. It also comes with hardships, such as leaving your family and friends for a long time and putting your life on hold when your nation calls.
     When troops started being deployed to the Persian Gulf, I honestly felt bad that I was not going. My unit, I was told, is not complete enough to be deployed right now.
     Shortly after, a unit in Florida asked for volunteers. They had been put on alert and were short two people. I was one of the two who answered the call.
     I am not completely sure why I did, but it felt right. I believe in the cause, but even more importantly, I am a soldier. I have a duty to stand up for my country any chance I get. Since then, it has been hurry up and wait... anxiety and impatience. I have not been told what my mission will be or where I am going. That does not matter.
     Standing up and telling my commander that I would go was one thing; telling my family was another. I have a fiance, whom I have been planning to marry this summer, and a wonderful family who supports me in everything I do.
     It is very hard explaining to your fiance that you will be leaving her again. I have been home for less then a year after being away for more than six months with the Army. Now, I had to explain that I had not been ordered to go, but there is no way I cannot go.
     It is great to be brave in front of other men, but bravery is very hard when you are wiping the tears off the face of the one you love.
     Then I had to tell my mother: a woman I owe my life and everything I have to.
     "Mom, I may be leaving you soon. Yes, I had the choice. No, I don't know when or where."
     Making my own mother cry was gut wrenching. I have never faced anything more difficult. I will face down any enemy and oppose any foe of the United States, but when I see my mother cry É I melt.
     I also don't really know what to do about college. I am over half way through this semester, and I am doing pretty well right now. I am 20 years old and ready to get my degree in a few years. I can't quit school now because there is the chance I won't be leaving. But what if I just have to pack up and leave, where does my hard work stand? I don't know.
     Another hard part is not knowing when. Sometimes I wonder if I am even going anywhere. Was I one of the soldiers who were supposed to go to Turkey? Am I a replacement, waiting on the bench just in case? I don't know. And neither does anyone in my unit.
     We just know that, most likely, we will be doing what we have trained to do soon. Despite leaving a fiance and a mother crying, my entire family and friends and putting my education on hold, it is my job.
     I am a soldier in the U.S. Army. Nobody said it would be easy. Waiting to leave certainly is not. Watching the war on television, waiting, wanting to be there to help, I feel like a dog in a cage. While leaving my education, family and friends would not be easy, it is something I might have to do.
     I will do it without question or hesitation. I will do it because I am a soldier.