VMI cadets return to campus with a new perspective
By Julie Von Sternberg
Five months ago, Marine Reservists Sgt. Mark Miller and Lance Cpl. Nate Salatin were searching together for explosives in the deserts of Iraq.
Today, they are cadets at Virginia Military Institute worrying about homework and exams, like any other college students.
Both were at VMI before they went to Iraq. But coming back, they see things differently.
“He almost got blown up four times,” said Salatin, pointing at Miller with a proud smile.
Since September 2001, 39 VMI cadets have put their education on hold to serve in Iraq.
They are not alone. At colleges all over the country students are taking a year off to be in the war. Miller has been deployed twice.
At Florida State University, a first-ever veterans organization was created recently to address the needs of returning soldiers. Similarly, VMI has created a three-page “General Order Number 43,” which outlines rules for the treatment of cadets who are veterans.
On Sep. 17, VMI held a forum to honor 11 cadets who re-enrolled at VMI after serving a year abroad.
Miller, a civil engineering major from Lynchburg, was excited to return home on his birthday.
“I remember cheering when I got on the plane,” he said.
Like many cadets, Salatin and Miller are finishing school to be commissioned as officers after graduation. But in the past six years, 12 cadets have chosen not to return to VMI after being sent overseas.
For Salatin, a business and economics major from Staunton, leaving for good was never an option.
“I told myself that if I started at this place I would finish,” he said. “The end product of VMI is what I want to be.”
War
In June 2006, Miller and Salatin left civilian life to become soldiers in Western Iraq. Both served as members of the route clearance team within the 44th Combat Engineer Battalion stationed at Al Asad, the largest Air Force base within the largely Sunni Al Anbar Province.
Their responsibilities included clearing roads and finding improvised explosive devices hidden by Iraqi insurgents. The missions, which lasted between six and 20 hours, were dangerous and grueling.
During one four-month period, Salatin and Miller were given only two days’ rest.
“Every holiday we had a mission, including the Super Bowl, Christmas and Easter,” said Salatin. “It just wears on you.”
One of the toughest challenges for Salatin was the unpredictability.
“Some days would go from being beautiful to an explosion, and all the niceties would go away real quick,” said Salatin. “You just never knew what was going to happen.”
Miller, because of his previous tour of duty in 2005, was named assistant convoy manager and placed in the lead vehicle for most of the missions.
The team’s convoy was hit six times. Several members of Charlie Company were injured, but no one was killed.
In Miller’s previous deployment he was not as fortunate. He received a Purple Heart after being injured by a rocket-propelled grenade in an attack that killed four other Marines. Since March 2003, according to Department of Defense statistics, 3,807 U.S. soldiers have died in Iraq.
When Salatin and Miller boarded the plane to come home in April, they passed another group who had just arrived.
“I thought to myself, ‘I hope you guys are lucky enough to make it home like we did,’” said Salatin.
Soldier to Student
The two spent time with their families before starting a new semester at VMI. Since they got back, they say, they have been shown honor and respect.
“You’re kind of treated like a super star,” said Cpl. Mike Berman, another cadet who has served in Iraq. “This is definitely a place that supports veterans.”
While some cadets have difficulties re-adjusting to civilian life, a few experienced a smooth transition.
“It is pretty easy to get back into the swing of things,” said Miller. “It just takes a little effort and a little time.”
Salatin attributes his favorable experience to the support of his friends, family and VMI professors.
After living in Third World conditions, Miller and Salatin appreciate the little things that Americans often take for granted, such as clean running water. Mostly, they are thankful they can relax.
“It’s nice being able to drive down the road and not have to worry about being shot at or blown up,” Miller said.
Politics
The Montgomery GI Bill, created after World War II, pays for about half of Miller’s and Salatin’s tuition. According to Col. Timothy Golden at VMI’s Financial Aid Office, the amount of the monthly sum depends on the length of time a cadet spends abroad.
Sen. Jim Webb (D.-Va.) has proposed the Post-9/11 Veterans Education Assistance Act of 2007 to change the current law by creating an entirely new GI program for those who served after Sept. 11. Webb’s bill would increase the monthly stipend of $660 a month for one-year veterans and $880 a month for two-year veterans to a standard $1,000 a month.
Democrats have also focused their attention on setting time limits for troop withdrawal. Miller, who says he has seen progress in Iraq for the last three years, thinks that rapid withdrawal makes no sense economically and could harm the Iraqi people if the troops are withdrawn before a solid government is established.
“It would just seem like a waste,” said Miller.
Salatin agrees that Americans are making progress, but that it will take time.
“I hate when people say that we aren’t doing good over there when we actually are,” said Salatin. “You have to realize that a country that has been doing the same thing for thousands of years can’t change overnight.”
Miller acknowledges that war is never a favorable option.
“Nobody enjoys war,” says Miller. “There is nothing glamorous about it. I have no problem with war protesters, because it’s true war is a horrible thing.”
But both cadets say the outcome could be worth the price.
“The end result could be pretty amazing,” Salatin said.
Producer Megann Daw vlogs about VMI cadets who are veterans too
Watch Lance Cpl. Nate Salatin talk about his experience
Watch Cpl. Mike Berman talk about Iraq.
Produced by Washington and Lee journalism students.
Lead supervisor: Prof. Claudette Artwick
Reporting supervisors:
Technical supervisor: Michael Todd