A Soldier's Story part 4

Editor's Note: This is the fourth of a six-part series of first-hand accounts written by Sgt. Raymond Murray, a Norwich student on leave to serve as a medic in the U.S. Army in Kosovo. He will serve as a medic treating army personnel and Kosovo citizens for several months. Ray Murray is a Norwich communications major who also served last semester as the The Norwich Guidon sports editor.

This article is written from his first assignment at the 399th Combat Support Hospital in Tauton, Mass., preparing for service in Kosovo.

By Ray Murray
Norwich Guidon Correspondent

Preparing to deploy overseas is Kosovo series writer Sgt. Ray Murray (left) along with 1989 Norwich graduate 1LT Pat Hoarty (center) and Sgt. Robert Murray (right) at the recognition ceremony for those military personnel preparing to go overseas. The ceremony was held at Taunton High School in Taunton, Mass., on Feb 11

It is about three weeks before we are to be deployed to Kosovo and a mission that seemed to be all sewn up has begun to fray a little at the edges. The unit as a whole is ready to carry out its job, but a few soldiers are realizing with so little time left that they do not want to go with the other soldiers on the Kosovo assignment.

"We realize that time is getting short, and this 210-day separation is becoming all too real," said Cpt. George Bairdo, Medical Service Corps, 399th CSH Adjutant. "With just three weeks left, the soldiers removing themselves from this mission have to realize that someone else is going to have to replace them.

"What it comes down to is, a soldier who has prepared for six months has to be replaced by a soldier that has 21 days," Bairdo said.

One soldier, who asked to remain anonymous, has decided to try to remove herself from the deployment because she just didn't realize how hard six months away from her family and friends was going to be. "I'm young and in school. I don't want to leave everything right now," she said.

Her reaction to not fulfilling her obligation was emotional. Her breaking point came when she started screaming and ended her outburst in tears. "I never signed up for this, why should I have to go?" she explained. "There are plenty of soldiers that can do my job. Now I have to leave my life for six months to go somewhere I could care less about."

Maj. James Weeden, the unit's psychiatrist, has served as the official psychiatrist on two different deployments and explained that soldiers facing such assignments must deal with many emotions.

"It's very hard on younger soldiers facing the prospect of going overseas to a place they've heard little about," Weeden said. "Look at our situation: six months away from home, always carrying a weapon and a combat load, and having the awesome responsibility of keeping soldiers and civilians alive. That's awesome on-the-job training."

Weeden explained that a deployment is generally much easier on older soldiers. "They have their finances worked out and can prepare themselves and their families with less difficulty and stress."

Although the separation is just as hard for more seasoned military personnel, Weeden said such soldiers know what to expect, making their preparations run more smoothly.

Although some of the soldiers in our unit are having doubts and second thoughts, overall motivation and morale is high throughout the ranks. The unit had its recognition ceremony with 3,000 soldiers and family members on hand to celebrate the accomplishment and to see us off.

Speakers at the ceremony were the Surgeon General of the Army, Lt. Gen. Peak, as well as Maj. Gen. Keefer, Commander of the 94th Regional Support Command, and Brig. Gen. Means, Commander of Military Medical Services.

Setting up for the ceremony required a week-long effort which cumulated Sunday, Feb. 11. Reporters from Fox, ABC and NBC networks covered the event, with many feature stories and documentaries as the result.

Rob Murray and I, who were both out of work and had no chance of finding any due to a busy weekend drill schedule, chanced on a former NU grad who helped make our transition time better.

We met First Lieutenant Pat Hoarty, a 1989 Norwich grad, during our two weeks at Fort Devens. We saw his ring first, which identified him as a Norwich grad.

Hoarty had been commissioned into the Marine Corps. After serving in the Gulf War, he switched to the Army and earned a commission. He works at Fort Devens and is about to take command of the 655th Signal Co.

Hoarty placed us on active duty orders for four weeks, and the change in lifestyle is stark. We now have rooms which make our old barracks seem like caves. They have a kitchen, huge bathroom, queen-size beds, and awesome entertainment centers. Life is good, for now.

With two weeks left before we ship out to Germany, I spent my last weekend, Feb. 17-18, at Norwich visiting friends. I've often heard other cadets say that members of the Corps won't realize how much they miss the university environment until they leave it. I don't think I've ever heard a truer statement.

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