Sgt. David Bill
48th Brigade Combat Team PAO
BAGHDAD -- Since January, more than 50 cadets and alumni from Georgia Military College, in Milledgeville, Ga., have put their lives on hold to serve with the 48th Brigade Combat Team currently operating in and around Iraq
For many of these young Soldiers, men and women from Canton to Savannah, and all points in between, this experience has already given them a lifetime of memories.
"I wish the cadets in Milledgeville can experience what I'm experiencing over here" said Spc. Donna Sanders, 20, from Hinesville, Ga. "I'm experiencing a different culture I can appreciate what I have back at home."
These Soldiers serve in every capacity within the 48th BCT from Infantry to Military Police, medics, truck drivers, personnel clerks, radio operators and many other military occupational specialties.
"Adaptability is something that you need over here," said Spc. Marcello Curtis, an Infantry Soldier who works in the Headquarters Command section as a driver and a gunner. "It's good to be squared away, but a sense of humor can get you through this place. I've seen Soldiers use laughter to help them get through the days here."
The 20-year-old from Macon, Ga., has decided to major in accounting when he returns from Iraq.
Both Curtis and Sanders have completed one year at GMC and look forward to continuing their education. They both said that GMC provided them training that has helped them here in Iraq.
"Having a routine and preparing each day for the next day has helped me," Sanders said.
"Being well prepared for a convoy here is critical, GMC taught me to prepare early. You do not forget the smallest detail," Curtis said.
These dedicated cadets entered the Georgia Army National Guard as a requirement for the State Service Scholarship, a state lottery-funded program that allows recipients to attend GMC as cadets virtually free for the two years of their education at the college. In return, they must serve in the Georgia National Guard while attending GMC and for a similar amount of time after they complete their education at the two-year military college.
Sanders, who is a medical supply specialist for Company C, 148th Support Battalion in Forsyth, Ga., has a message for those State Service Scholarship cadets back in Milledgeville: "Enjoy what you have. Really think hard about what you're doing. It's what I joined for."
Sgts. Barron Durden and Karl Auer, both from Macon, Ga., attended GMC under the scholarship program.
"Stay in school, get your education," Durden said.
He attended GMC 1999-2000 and was 10 credits short of graduation when he was activated with the 48th Brigade to serve in Bosnia.
Auer completed his associate degree from GMC in 2001.
Both NCOs work in the 48th Brigade Tactical Operations Center and know each other well, but did not realize that each had attended GMC. They both voiced the same sentiments about GMC: "It is not easy, but stick to it and get your education."
The words "Duty, Honor, Country" are the backbone of what cadets live by at GMC. Cadets said these words mean more now that GMC has felt the ultimate loss.
GMC graduate Sgt. Chad Mercer, 25, died in an accident in Iraq in July. He was a Bradley commander, and was killed when his vehicle rolled over in a canal. He was remembered by his fellow Soldiers in a touching memorial held at Camp Striker.
"He was a good Soldier and a good friend," said Capt. Brian Lassitter, his company commander. Mercer was selected as the NCO of the Year for the 48th Brigade Combat Team in February.
Spc. Vanessa Harris, 19, of Augusta, Ga., a current cadet at GMC, was injured in a rocket attack on the post exchange at Camp Liberty just days after her arrival in June. She was transported home to the U.S. for treatment and is expected to return to Iraq in September. She was awarded the Purple Heart for her injuries.
The life of a Soldier in Iraq can be both stressful and harsh. The daily conditions in which Soldiers have to live and work is far from the comforts of home.
"The heat is not as bad as people expected" Curtis said. "People can still work during the day."
Each day, the temperatures climb to 115 degrees and higher, but one thing Soldiers have here that GMC cadets do not, is air conditioning. Each tent has AC units pumping out cool air 24 hours a day to provide some much-needed relief from the demanding temps. Nobody will ever complain about a hot humid Georgia summer ever again.
When these cadet return to the historic Milledgeville campus, they will have rightfully earned the respect of not only the cadets and students they attend classes with, but of the staff and faculty who will mentor and teach them.
Most of them said they did not realize when they applied for the scholarship while in high school that someday they would have to put their education and lives on hold to serve in a combat zone. But that is a realization that they all had to face when they raised their right hand as they were sworn into the Georgia Army National Guard and it was confirmed when they stepped off the plane into the heat of Baghdad's combat zone.
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| Date Taken: | 07.25.2005 |
| Date Posted: | 07.25.2005 13:56 |
| Story ID: | 2478 |
| Location: | BAGHDAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 64 |
| Downloads: | 7 |
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