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Reservists Return to Campus

By A.J. Griffith
Black College Wire

Credit: Ryan P. Knight/Southern Digest Jason Matthews, shown in photo illustration, says his goal now is to enjoy himself more.

Almost two years after major combat operations began in Iraq, many young National Guardsmen and reservists are returning from the war zone to their college campuses, attempting to pick up where their lives were interrupted.

Army specialists Shekeitra Lockhart and Jason Matthews of the Army Reserve's 285th Engineer Company, an 80-soldier unit based in Baton Rouge, La., are two such students at Southern University. They were activated just before the war.

"My heart stopped," recalled Lockhart, a freshman therapeutic recreation major from Baton Rouge, of the news that she would be going to war. "I had just made 18. When they told me that I would be away from my family in a foreign country, I just couldn't see it."

Matthews, a special education major from Clinton, La., was about to become a father when he was notified.

"I didn't know if I was going to see my child born or not," he said. "I really didn't know the purpose of the war, so I didn't want to go."

Two years later, after the life-changing experience of war in the Iraqi desert, stepping back on Southern's campus has been quite a culture shock. And they have returned with newfound goals and life lessons to share with their peers.

Initially, the 285th was expected to be gone for only six months. However, after months of training and waiting at Fort Polk, La., and six months of being overseas, members of the unit learned they would be gone for an extra year.

The day the war started, Matthews and Lockhart found themselves stepping off a plane onto desert sands. Once in Iraq, their unit was responsible for building and setting up base facilities. The 285th carried out missions in Kuwait, in Saddam Hussein's Iraqi hometown of Tikrit, and in Talil, Iraq, site of an air base.

At the onset of the war, phone calls home were limited, according to Matthews.

"We couldn't tell [our families] where we were," he said. "All I could say was 'Mom, I'm OK, don't worry about me, I don't know when you're going to hear from me again'." Access to news was also restricted while they were in the Iraqi desert.

Matthews recalled how slow the mail service was for the first few months.

"I remember three or four weeks going by and only getting one letter," he said. "By the time you did get a letter, it was old news. In the military, mail is very important, especially when you can't get a phone call."

Violence and the possibility of death remained a threat.

During an ice run into the city, a mortar round hit the back of a truck driven by one of Matthews' friends. The round bounced off the vehicle and killed several bystanders. Matthews was supposed to be the truck driver, but other duties had kept him on base.

Aside from the prospect of enemy attack, adverse weather conditions and insects created a high level of discomfort. Lockhart, who admitted to being extremely afraid of spiders, remembered the intense heat and insects.

"They did have scorpions and reptiles," she said. "It got up to 130 degrees outside. The heat attracted the bugs, and it was hot most of the day."

For most people, a bath is a relaxing event. But not for the soldiers.

"We used bottled water," Matthews remembered. "It wasn't a good bath, considering you had fleas on you and you had been outside in the sand sweating all day."

But for all the gloom, Matthews and Lockhart remember several bright moments.

The two recounted their club experiences, when troops just gathered after long days of work and just had fun among themselves.

"A lot of times that was more enjoyable than clubbing in the United States," Lockhart said. "I guess that was because you appreciated it more."

The soldiers also had a chance to tour the country and visit historical sights. An album of photographs shows pictures of Ur, the birthplace of Abraham; one of Saddam Hussein's palaces and the ruins of ancient Babylon. The soldiers also rode camels.

"It was a different experience that I wouldn't have experienced otherwise," Lockhart said.

Matthews and Lockhart share a fond memories of Christmas. Cooks from India and Kuwait made a special meal for the troops.

"It was gorgeous," Matthews said. "They baked some bread shaped like an alligator and had an ice mold."

In Talil, a safe city in southeast Iraq, allied forces came together to celebrate the season.

"You had the Air Force, Army -- everybody was there," Matthews said. "They all came together and formed a big choir. We had a great worship -- one of the best worships I've ever experienced was right there in Iraq."

For recreation, troops of different nationalities bonded in sporting activities.

"They had the Korean army, the Portuguese, Italian, Turkish, Hungarian," Lockhart said. "It was lovely."

Matthews and a few other Southern student-soldiers played in a three-on-three basketball tournament in Talil. "We were three-on-three champions of the whole post," Matthews said.

Being out of the country tends to affect soldiers' lives -- sometimes negatively.

For Matthews, the lengthy deployment splintered a two-year relationship.

"I advise anybody who goes on a deployment to go single," Matthews said. "That's the best way."

Both Lockhart and Matthews had a chance to come home for two weeks of leave.

"I had more problems at home because I was different and I did things different," Matthews said. "My family didn't like that. I was really ready to go back to my friends -- I missed them."

Lockhart shared similar sentiments.

"I just couldn't fall into the groove of it," she said. "I would hear people say things like, 'Oh, my TV is broke' or 'My cell phone bill is this and that' and they just don't know that we've been without electricity, televisions, and cell phones. When you witness people living in Third World countries living in huts made of twigs, you have to ask yourself if these people [in the U.S.] will ever be satisfied."

Finally, after being gone since January 2003, the Baton Rouge soldiers returned home to a hero's welcome.

"The first thing I did was go see my baby girl," recalled Matthews. "She didn't even know me. She didn't want me to touch her or anything. I sat with her for a while. Then I ate some real food."

Lockhart treated herself to seafood.

On Southern's campus, they soon discovered how much things had changed.

"Everybody was younger than me," Matthews said. "The clothes and music were different. I didn't know who 50 Cent was."

With this chapter of their lives behind them, the two student-soldiers have new plans and life lessons to share.

"My goal is to get out of school and enjoy myself more," said Matthews.

"With this being behind me now, I realize I can do anything," Lockhart said. "Regardless of whatever the circumstance or situation I'm in, I can do anything."

A.J. Griffith, a student at Southern University, is opinions editor of The Southern Digest.

Posted Oct. 19, 2004