Spring Soldiers

Pvt. Katherine Lowry and Pvt. Jennifer Terry have packed away their perfume and nail polish. Their delicate sandals, flowing skirts, dressy tank tops and lipsticks are all safely tucked away in boxes to be sent home or distributed amongst sisters and friends. Teddy bears, cars and beds have been bequeathed, wills written and powers of attorney made. \n"I don't have anything to hand down," said Lance Cpl. Tom Gillund. "It's funny to write a will when you have nothing much to give except to say that if you are killed then all your savings will go to your parents." \nTerry, who is in the same Army National Guard unit as Lowry, shared a room at home with her little sister who always wanted the room all to herself. \n"I used to tell her off because she kept it so messy. I told her now she could have it and keep it messy, too. She will have my car, too. But she says she'd rather have me safe here in Bloomington than have the messy room to herself, or even the car," she said. \nIt's the first time she will be leaving home for about 18 months and also the first time she will be away from her in-services-training boyfriend. But she said she was excited about leaving.\nGillund, who is in the Marine Reserves, will be departing June 1. \n"We'll be going to Indy from there to North Carolina and then to Germany and then to Iraq from September to March," he said.\nThe girls, though, do not know where they will be going, although they left Monday. \n"Rumors are that we may go to Afghanistan. But nothing's confirmed. Maybe they'll tell us once we reach Camp Atterbury," Lowry said.\nAccording to the Chicago Tribune, the United States is planning to increase troops by 20,000 to keep total U.S. troops in Iraq at 135,000. As a result, thousands of Army Reserve soldiers are being activated to send into the region. \nSen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said that it was "clear that we need additional troops, and we're going to need them for a long time," according to The Associated Press.\nFor these individuals, this spring brought them news of parting from their families. For the next year and-a-half, they will live in hostile land and may be asked to stay longer. \nFor 18 months, they will eat out of tin plates, drink out of tin cups, sleep on hard beds or in sleeping bags on the ground and live amidst a rain of bullets, bombs and tanks.\n"It's funny how some decision some guy makes who is sitting in some far-off place can change your whole life forever," Lowry said. \nAbout two weeks ago, Lowry was with her mother when she got a phone call from her sergeant. \n"I knew it was coming -- just didn't know it would be so fast." \nHe told her this was "not a drill -- not an exercise," Lowry said. \nNarrating an incident, Gillund said two of his friends -- Lance Cpl. Brandon Nordoff and Lance Cpl. Aaron Middleton -- returned from Iraq a couple of weeks ago.\n"They said the heat is unbearable. And there are camel spiders as big as my palm," Gillund said.\nLowry, Terry and Gillund have a lot of cooperation from friends and family as they go through one of the biggest changes of their lives. \n"Everyone has been very supportive," Terry said. \nFor now, they are taking it one step at a time -- eating for the last time this year at their favorite restaurants and living it up. \n-- Contact staff writer Hina Alam at halam@indiana.edu.