A soldier's story

Right now, sophomore Travis Roll would love to be in Fallujah. \nBut he's in Bloomington instead. This April, Roll was injured by a roadside bomb explosion in Iraq, and now he's medically retired with no hope of returning to Iraq with his Marine unit.\nRoll wanted to be involved with the military ever since he was a child growing up on a 1600-acre farm in Scottsburg, Ind. It was there his parents taught him to be proud of America and to look for the good in every situation. He always wanted to do something to help his country.\nAnd when he arrived in the Iraqi airport, he wasn't worried.\n"It was amazing to see Iraq on TV, and then actually be there," Roll said. "I was looking forward for the opportunity to serve. Everybody was upbeat - we were real close, like brothers, and I couldn't ask for anything better."\nRoll was stationed at Abu Ghraib, three months after the prison scandal occurred. He was there to protect the base and provide security, but he never worked with the prisoners. His unit lived in a closed-off wing of the prison.\nThe day Roll suffered the injuries that would send him home he was sitting on top of a Humvee with a machine gun when a roadside bomb exploded. He was knocked backwards, and suddenly, blood was streaming across his goggles and he couldn't feel his fingers on his right hand. \nSurprisingly, Roll remained unfazed after the explosion. \n"It wasn't that traumatic," Roll said. "It didn't bother me."\nThe military doctor thought his injury was more serious. Roll didn't have any circulation in his arm, and the doctor was worried about nerve damage and motor functions. He urged him to go to Germany to get it checked out.\n"I didn't want to leave," Roll said. "I wanted to stay."\nRoll said his worst day in Iraq was his last day.\n"It was hard for me to be back in the US, watching TV, and knowing my friends were still out there," Roll said.\nEven though coordination in his right hand has diminished, and he still has trouble writing and catching a football; he still considers himself lucky.\n"I saw guys with their arms blown off flying to Germany," Roll said. "And it almost made me feel worse — not having feeling in my fingers, where they might not even make it."\nRoll was awarded the Purple Heart.\n"I don't care about the awards or ribbons," Roll said. "I didn't join for that reason."\nRoll said he was on his way to doing well in the Marines and he even thought about making a career out of the military. But now, he plans to help out with the Veterans Association.\n"I still haven't realized it's over," Roll said. "I never wanted to get out in the first place."\nRoll said he appreciated America even more after serving in Iraq. \n"I learned how fortunate we are in America to have freedom," Roll said. "You can choose to be in the military or protest it." \nRoll took this semester off school, but still enjoys being in Bloomington with his friends. He spends his time watching sports, playing football and going to the bars. Roll is enrolled in school next semester and he's looking forward to his classes.\n"I never enjoyed going to class before, but now I can't wait to go back," Roll said. "I'll get to start over with college. I think I'll appreciate my classes, be more focused on doing my work and asking professors for help."\nRoll said that because he is a Marine, he learned how to put forth 100 percent effort into all of his endeavors.\n"Now I know that I can do whatever I want to do," Roll said. "If I can do my job in Iraq, it shouldn't be that hard to get an education." \n— Contact staff writer Jessica \nLevco at jlevco@indiana.edu