Spring Break
Veterans Club shares war stories
By Rico Torres
Issue date: 10/10/07 Section: News
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"I was staying at my girlfriends' house just outside Miller Park and someone must have hit a home run or something and the fireworks started going off at [10] at night," Stachel said.
"I hit the ground and was crawling to a window and she hit the ground on the other side of the bed and was crawling to the window. And we sat there for about five minutes until we realized its fireworks. We thought we were being attacked; we were still in that mind set. That happened two weeks after we got back."
There are approximately 250 veteran students on campus, according to junior Casey Derkensen.
The Veterans Club on campus is a group for veterans and non-veterans to swap stories and support others.
Five members of the Veterans Club shared what military work is like overseas.
"The hardest part is the fact that you got today, you probably have tomorrow, and after that you pretty much don't know, Stachel said. "You can't plan day for day. Everyday you get a brand new surprise."
The War in Iraq began four years ago in 2003. There have been 3,816 American casualties as of Monday, according to CNN.
"The most difficult thing is being away," Trapp said. "Being away for a year is a long time. Even though you get two weeks [off] it doesn't really amount to much."
Enlistment periods in the Army last two to six years, according to the U.S. Army Web site.
The veterans attending classes at UW-Whitewater have regularly scheduled classes now; they didn't have regular schedules during their time overseas.
"The schedule is always different, being away from you friends and family and you don't know what's going to come the next day," Casey Derksen said. "It's always up in the air."
Being in Iraq had positive elements to balance the negative.
"The easiest thing for me was knowing I could trust the people around me," Stachel said. "It's a big family over there. Everybody's there, it all sucks equally bad across the board so you bond together and you do it."
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