The Norwich Guidon

The Norwich Guidon, student newspaper of Norwich University, is published twice monthly and has won numerous awards for excellence in its class.

Reporters, editors, and managers for The Norwich Guidon are students at the university who work under the guidance of a Communications faculty advisor. Student editors learn electronic pagination using state of the art computer equipment.

If you have any questions or comments about the paper, please contact Professor Ken Bush at kbush@norwich.edu.

In The News

February 13, 2003

Nine Norwich student Reservists receive orders as part of nationwide National Guard activiation

By Mike Legere
Norwich Guidon Staff Writer

With only three days to withdraw from classes and prepare everything to be shipped back home, Cpl. Robert Golden scrambles around his room to pack his supplies and equipment to travel down to Londonderry, N.H.

Nine Norwich University students have been called up for active duty.

These Reservists of Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 25th Marines were given no warning that they would have to leave school for the second semester.

All nine Marines received calls Sunday afternoon with orders to report to their unit by 8am on Jan. 16.

"It would have been nice to know a little earlier, especially when you live as far as Pennsylvania, and you have to coordinate things with getting your things back home," said Golden, 25, a business management major from Scranton, Penn.

Golden had to pack all his belongings into boxes and suitcases so his mother could drive up from Pennsylvania on the weekend to bring it all home.

He did not have a chance to see his family before he left.

Lance Cpl. Thomas Countermine, 21, a history major from Clifton Park, N.Y., only had a few hours to visit with his family while he was dropping off his possessions at home.

"I saw them today, and they where all crying and being emotional. It was kind of sudden when it happened, so they're still kind of getting used to it," said Countermine.

The Marines meet for their briefing in Londonderry, NH, where they do their monthly drill. They will then travel down to Camp Lejeune, where the new Marines that are fresh out of boot camp will go to the School of Infantry for their specific MOS (Military Occupational Specialty).

"Mine will last about six weeks, then after that we will probably just link up with our unit again and wait to either be deployed overseas or keep training around the United States," said Countermine.

Countermine is hoping that he will be able to go back and visit his family if he is going to be sent overseas.

Golden only has 13 credits to complete for graduation, and his six-year Marine contract was supposed to be completed in June 2003. His contract is on hold, and he will now have to wait until they are deactivated to leave the Marine Corps.

"I was originally supposed to graduate next December, but I probably won't graduate until the spring or fall of 2004," said Countermine. "I'll probably have to wait for another fall semester to take the classes I'm missing; that's kind of unfortunate, but there really wasn't a choice; it's kind of what I have to do."

The other cadets reporting to duty are Cpl. John Huddock, Pvt. 1st class Cory Beals, Lance Cpl. Jonathan Marshall, and Pvt. 1st class Gerard Ditolla. There are also three unnamed civilian Marines.

"I'm excited about actually doing something and actually being an active duty Marine for awhile, but at the same time I kind of would have liked to finish school off, first. But I have a contract to abide by, and I'll go in there and give 100 percent," said Countermine.

"I'm a Marine, first; education is second," said Golden. "When you're active duty, that's all you do, is active duty.

"But Reservists have two different lives; they have families, full time jobs, but still have to stay committed to the Marine Corps, which is a totally different world than the civilian world, and it's hard to operate in both and juggle stuff, sometimes, but that's what we ultimately signed up for," Golden said. "Our function is to support the active duty personnel, and that's what we're doing. We always train for a case like this, and now it happened."

"I'm just interested in seeing how Norwich will be once I get back," said Countermine.

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