Deployed Soldiers hit the books in Iraq

Photo By Spc. Emily Wilsoncroft | BAGHDAD -- Spc. Jason Tuck, an administrative clerk from Headquarters and Headquarters Support Company, Special Troops Battalion, said he's learned to balance his time between his daily tasks and his school assignments. Tuck is working toward his bachelor's degree in management from Jarvis Christian College. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Emily Wilsoncroft, Task Force Baghdad PAO)  

BAGHDAD, IRAQ

01.17.2006

Courtesy Story

DVIDS Hub       

Spc. Emily J. Wilsoncroft
Task Force Baghdad PAO

BAGHDAD -- Although every Soldier deployed to Operation Iraqi Freedom accomplishes their mission for the good of the larger whole, many here in Iraq are using their "down time" to accomplish a mission for their own good " that of continuing their civilian education.

Some Soldiers say it's just a way to pass the time, while others are actively planning for their future lives beyond the military.

Either way, the Fort Stewart Tuition Assistance Hub has processed more than 5,000 requests for tuition assistance from deployed Soldiers since the hub was initiated in April. All those requests can only mean one thing: there's a lot of learning going on.

Sgt. 1st Class Keith Ciancio, an operations sergeant in Headquarters and Headquarters Operations Company, Special Troops Battalion, 3rd Infantry Division, is currently working toward two simultaneous bachelor's degrees " one in Business Administration with Saint Leo University, and one in Computer Information Science with University of Maryland University College. He has accumulated the bulk of his credits during deployments.

"I first began my studies while deployed to Operation Joint Endeavor in Bosnia-Herzegovina," Ciancio said. "I was eligible for promotion to staff sergeant and needed promotion points. A little more than a year later, I deployed again to the Balkans and my best friend and I got into a heavy competition of who could earn the most college credit while deployed. I won.

"While deployed to Operation Iraqi Freedom 3, I discovered how boring my off-duty time could be and that it could be a golden opportunity to continue my education," he added.

Because a Soldier always has to put his mission first, most have said earning a degree while in a combat zone can be difficult " but not too difficult to keep them from hitting the books anyway.

"I am able to do my work in my office or in my room," said Staff Sgt. Maxine Glover-Blackwood, noncommissioned officer in charge of personnel for Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Division Support Brigade.

Glover-Blackwood has already completed her Bachelor's of Arts in Criminal Justice from Columbia College during this deployment, and is now enrolled in a Masters program in Human Resources Management with Bakers College.

"If I have to go somewhere, I will either do it before or make arrangements (with the instructors)," she said. "The instructors are very good about working with us," she said.

Pfc. Pedro Loureiro said his biggest obstacle is finding the time in each day to fit all his scholastic requirements.

"There is a lot of reading that takes hours to complete and papers are due every week," said Loureiro, a tanker with D Company, 3rd Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment,. "While others play their PlayStations and watch movies, I tend to my college work. I have been doing online college for eight months now. Some weeks are worse than others, depending on our schedules, and since they are never set in stone I have learned never to wait till the last minute to complete assignments.

"Online college is great overall, assuming that you can donate at least two to three hours a night to strictly college," he continued. "That, of course, can only be done if the Internet doesn't go down."

Spc. Jason Tuck, an administrative clerk in Headquarters and Headquarters Support Company, STB, said he's learned to balance his time between work and school, but still finds it a bit of a challenge at times.

"A Soldier has to be ready for whatever," he said. "There are times when guard duty or missions prevent you from being near a computer â?¦ (also) the time zone difference creates a disconnection with group assignments and communication. Online discussions and class participation may not be very resourceful."

Even so, Tuck, who is 10 credits away from a B.A. in Management from Jarvis Christian College, added that he enjoys being kept busy, so trying to fit classes and homework into his daily schedule doesn't bother him.

Others, like Spc. Sarah Williams, an HHSC, STB personnel and administration center clerk, said her main struggle is finding the energy to work on her degree " an Associate's in General Studies from Columbia College " after her workday is done.

"Sometimes I just want to go to sleep instead of working on school," she said.

But Williams, like her fellow students, hits the books anyway, and continues to work toward her goal. Most agree that in this case, the end truly justifies the means.

"Obviously, my duties come first," Ciancio said. "I have to make sacrifices, which mostly amount to foregoing sleep in favor of studying. But the reward has been the completion of three courses so far with a 4.0 GPA, with two more in progress with a 3.8 GPA between those.

"It helps keep me busy and makes the time go by faster," he added. "I have not looked at this deployment as a year, but as three eight-week terms and two 15-week quarters. It has been easier to digest that way."

Although student-Soldiers have factors working against them, they do have one important thing in their favor " the help of Army education centers.

"I must admit that I was amazed by how much the education centers went out of their way for me," Loureiro said. "From calling the schools, to faxing, scanning, and everything else " anything I needed I didn't have to ask twice."

When Soldiers send in tuition assistance requests, TA Hub employees back at Fort Stewart are responsible for screening potential students" education records and authorizing financial aid.

"They are wonderful," Glover-Blackwood said. "At times, (they were) even able to call me here, not just assisting me, but the 30-plus Soldiers I was trying to help, and we all appreciated it."

• Date Taken: 01.17.2006
• Date Posted: 01.17.2006 16:40
• Story ID: 5136
• Location: BAGHDAD, IQ