Welcome back. I hope you all had a wonderful winter break and had the opportunity to enjoy the fellowship of your family, get some down time, and have your batteries recharged for another exciting academic term.

We have much happening on campus, and our students are learning first-hand that freedom is not free. In our war on terrorism, and as President Bush continues to consider how best to deal with Saddam Hussein, a number of our students have been mobilized. These students are: Jeremiah Lejbrandt, (civilian student) Terence Hegarty, (new civilian student) Andrew Kettner (new civilian student), Kory Beals (cadet), Robert Golden (cadet), Gerard Ditolla (cadet), John Hudock (cadet), Cory Tribble (cadet), Thomas Countermine (cadet), Jonathan Marshall (cadet), Todd Collins (cadet), Joseph Feirimonte (cadet).

These students are living the Partridge concept of citizen soldier and are responding to the call of their nation to defend us. The best wishes and complete support of the President, staff, faculty, and student body go with them. I am proud of each of them and know they will do a great job for America. I know many of us enjoyed reading the articles in the Guidon when our students have been mobilized. Therefore, I have asked those students whom I have been able to see before they depart to continue to send us e-mail. Their messages, a Guidon tradition, are also important as pieces of our history as they let us know where they are and what they are doing, and reporting on what they are experiencing, how their Norwich education has prepared them, and what they think we need to know at home. I suspect we are not done with having students and staff mobilized. In fact, Assistant Commandant Major Rivers has already been mobilized. Over the next few weeks and months we may have more of our guardsmen and reservists mobilized. The federal government does not mobilize ROTC students, as they are still in training to be officers, but our guardsmen and reservists are already trained to do specific jobs.

When we went to war the last time, in Desert Storm/Desert Shield, Norwich offered up 32 of our students who were in the guard and reserves. Thankfully, all of them returned home safe and were able to continue their studies. That is our hope and our prayer for this group. We protected all of them financially with their loans and financial aid and are looking forward to the day of their return to complete their academic programs. This is a real life lesson for Norwich and our student body, and a great reminder that men and women who serve in our military do put their own personal lives on hold when the nation needs them. That is what these students have done.

Everyone who is called to duty has our complete support and best wishes for a quick return to the green hills of Vermont and the hallowed halls of Norwich.

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