In the past two weeks Southern Illinois has been rocked by three deaths of its native sons. All were killed in Iraq, and the war’s impact is currently being felt at SIUC were there 80 students on military leave.

Some are stationed in Iraq while others are dispersed throughout the country at military training facilities. Since the start of the war during the spring semester of 2003, 53 students who were deployed off campus have returned.

Cynthia Hanson, veterans coordinator for SIUC, has been keeping a tally of the students who are sent either abroad to fight in Iraq or are stationed at bases across the nation. She has no way of knowing where students go, however, after they are deployed.

Advertisement

It was six weeks into the semester when he got his papers. But Sgt. Jason White said he was not surprised because, to him, it was a matter of when he would get called into service, not if.

White is one of the many students at Southern Illinois University Carbondale that have returned to the University after being on military leave.

The junior in political science spent 16 months, some of which was in Iraq, away from not only the University, but also his wife and son. At 26 years old, White struggled with being away from his fledging family.

He said the situation added extra stress for his wife, who is also a student at the University, because she had to take care of their son and deal with an illness in her family.

“She’s very strong and independent as it is, but she got through it and stayed enrolled,” White said. “She was able to persevere.”

However, the preliminary shock of the situation was not what he had to go through to get relieved from the University, White said, but when he started his initial training.

There was no problem returning his books to any of the bookstores and the University also gave him refunds on part of his tuition, White said.

Advertisement*

“It was a good experience,” White said. “I credit it to the University, for knowing they have a strong military appeal.”

Students who leave for military service are generally counseled by Veteran’s Educational Services about leaving and what options they have, Hanson said.

“They’re not going to be penalized and their benefits will be there when they return,” Hanson said.

Hanson said academics on military leave often return to the University with little need to readjust to the rigors college life.

“Getting a degree is one thing they set their minds to when they get back,” Hanson said.

While White said his transition back to academic life was not too bad, he said it would have been smoother if he took more time off to adjust.

“It’s amazing, the simple habits you loose in a short period of time,” White said. “It was rougher than I anticipated.”

In fact, White, knowing he would soon be returning to the United States, applied for re-entry to the University while still in Iraq.

White missed a total of three semesters while on military leave, which put his wife ahead of him in school. He was planning on graduating the same time as his wife so they could continue their education together in Florida.

“We may have to be separated,” White said. “That by far is the biggest set back we had from deployment.”

A study from the New England Journal of Medicine found that 15 percent to 17 percent of veterans who have been deployed to Iraq showed symptoms of depression, anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder.

However, White said that while he has not had any major psychological damage, he does have small side effects from the war.

“The biggest I’ve had is walking around campus and worrying about a building blowing up,” White said.