From their eyes

Weber State University is home to many veterans and family members of those who have served in the military. The Signpost sat down with four WSU students and asked them about their experiences in war and in the military. Michelle Dolan is an 18-year-old freshman. Her older brother, Daniel Dolan, died in a hostile combat engagement in Iraq on Aug. 27, 2006. Daniel was 19-years-old at the time of his death. He was also a former WSU student. Brian Stone is a 39-year-old junior studying psychology. He has spent eight years in the Army and two years in the National Guard. He is currently enrolled in the WSU ROTC program and is going to be commissioned as an infantry ranger officer when he graduates. Sitka Hrabal is a 23-year-old sophomore studying supply chain management. She spent three years in the Army as a supply worker. Her ex-husband was also in the Army. She is currently enrolled in the WSU ROTC. Rey Medellin spent six years in the Army and was deployed to Korea, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. His first deployment to Iraq was in 2003 and he went back in 2005. He is currently a sophomore at WSU. The Signpost: Has the progress in the Global War on Terror and America's involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan been worth the lives of the men and women who have died while fighting? Michelle Dolan: Yes, but if we just pull out now it won't be. If the U.S. pulls out now, the situation there will just go back to the way it was before and I will feel like my brother died for nothing. Brian Stone: Death, no matter what kind it is, is a sensitive subject. The things we have done in the War on Terror are substantial. The accomplishments we have had are significant. The deaths we have suffered because of our involvement are certainly justified. Sitka Hrabal : When we enlist, we put on the uniform and we raise our right arm to the square and you sign up knowing that it is a possibility that you might die in another country. I have never been deployed but I have had plenty of buddies who tell me that some of the stuff they do is worthwhile: seeing little kids and families who actually want the help. But at the end of the day when insurgents are bombing them, they ask themselves if it is really worth it. They ask themselves if they really want to die for someone who doesn't even want us there. Rey Medellin: Everything going on in Iraq and Afghanistan has been worth it. It has been worth it to protect the lives of all Americans. SP: In what ways do you think the military will change when Barack Obama takes office as the new president and as the commander in chief of the U.S. Military? MD: Most people in Utah are really supportive of the troops. But, there are a lot of people in the United States who already don't support the troops. When Obama, who doesn't seem very supportive himself, becomes president, I think a lot more people will go towards not being supportive. I don't think that he is going to help when it comes to that. BS: I don't think that anything will initially. The military will continue to be the military. He has said and promised certain things already but he hasn't received security briefs from the generals and cabinet members yet. Once he has a feel for the real situation I don't think a lot will change. SH: If he is anything like Clinton, he will cut the military down in size. I think it is kind of iffy. Will he support the military or won't he? I honestly don't know. RM: He says that he is going to cut military funding and cut the size of the military. He has mentioned pulling troops out of Iraq and Afghanistan. But I think that until he can see those secret reports and get a better understanding of what is going on he won't even know what he will change. SP: What are some of the benefits and/or challenges associated with serving in the military or being the family member of someone who is serving in the military? MD: It was the hardest thing in the world for me when my brother left for basic. He meant the world to me and I couldn't stop crying when he left. The only thing that was harder than that was when the Casualty Officer came to our door. Sometimes people will try to empathize with me and tell me that they know how I feel, but the only way you can know how it feels is to go through it. The reward for me is knowing that my brother died with honor. He died doing something good for our country: fighting for our freedoms, defending our liberties. BS: The benefits are extensive. Soldiers not only get free on-base housing with everything but cable and internet included, but they also get life insurance, health insurance, dental and vision insurance for themselves and their families. We also get to do a lot of things that civilians can't do like shoot heavy caliber machine guns and play with explosives. On the other hand, it is hard to be away from family a lot doing field exercises and going on deployments. You can get seriously injured or die. SH: I have been on both sides. My husband joined one year after I did and then while I was in the service I had a kid. It is hard to balance family demands with military demands. That is part of the reason why I am not still married to my ex-husband. He joined in 2005 and he has been gone overseas ever since. It is worth it though because the military really takes care of you in all your needs. RM: The biggest challenge for me and for my family was just being gone so much. Sometimes kids have to grow up without their parents. The biggest benefit is that the United States is free because of the military. SP: Is there a difference between supporting the war and supporting the troops? Can a person support the troops and not support the war? MD: I don't personally fully agree with everything that's happening in the war but I do fully support the troops and what they do for this country. There are a lot of people who support the troops but don't like that they are over (in Iraq and Afghanistan). BS: I really think that it is up to the individual. If you say you support someone then you encourage him or her and you do all you can for him or her. It depends on how a person truly feels about the situation itself. They should be honest with themselves and then be true to that and not hide it through some political agenda. SH: People should support the war and the troops. If the troops weren't over the fighting the war, the war would be over here. When all those soldiers volunteer to go over there that means that you don't have to. They are the ones who are standing on the front lines making difficult decisions so that you don't have to. We should support them for doing that. RM: The war and the troops are the same thing. If you don't support the war, the troops won't get the things they need. If you support one then you have to support the other. SP: Is it OK for people not to support the troops? MD: Our troops are the ones who are giving people the right to open our big mouths. They need to support the troops for giving them their rights. BS: Absolutely. That's America. That is what people like me and many thousands and hundreds of thousands of people going all the way back to the revolutionary war have died for. We have had the right to do or not do something ever since our founding fathers first put their lives and their families and their careers on the line to start this country and to make it what it is today. We will continue to have our rights as long as the U.S. Military and coalition forces keep this world safe and free. SH: People should support the troops even if they don't support the war. RM: We live in America. We have the freedom of speech. Everyone is free to feel, think and believe in what you want to. If people choose not to support the troops then that is on them. They should just understand that the troops give them that right. SP: What is the best way for people to express their gratitude and to say 'thank you' to military members who have served and their families? MD: Just go up to them, shake their hand and say 'thank you.' It lets them know that people care about them and want them to come home. I know that that means so much to them. BS: The most important thing that we need to keep in mind is that, regardless of who we are, where we came from, or why we are here, we are Americans first. Stay true to things like the pledge of allegiance, the declaration of independence, the bill or rights and everything else that makes this country what it is - that is enough. Just put America first and your personal needs and political affiliations next. SH: Just say 'thank you'. It is short, it is simple and it makes us feel good. RM: Just say 'thank you.' Shake their hand. Pat them on the back. That is all we want as service members.