Adjusting to life after war

For Brandon Nordhoff's high school graduation party, his friends decided to shave his head. The next day, he was leaving for boot camp.\n"We had about 10 people come over and help out," said Tim Cross, who helped organize the event by putting flyers up around the school that read 'Help Shave Nordie's Head.'\n"He was kind of a 'pretty boy' -- his hair was usually gelled. It was kind of a cool moment, a nice send-off," Cross said.\nThe "pretty boy" from Kirksville, Ind., joined the Marines when he was 17. Nordhoff walked his high school halls in his Marine leather jacket. On Homecoming Costume Day, he dressed up like a Green Beret, with every inch of his skin covered in camouflage.\n"He's hardcore about the military," Cross said. "We all knew from the beginning that he was going to be a good Marine."\nWhen Nordhoff left for boot camp, Cross didn't know what to say. They were quiet and shook hands. With an eight-year friendship behind them, Cross waved goodbye as Nordhoff drove away.\nThe officers at boot camp drilled and disciplined Nordhoff. One of the most challenging components of boot camp was "The Crucible," where Nordhoff completed a 45-mile hike in three days, with very little sleep or food.\nCross describes his friend as upbeat, outgoing and someone who picks people up when they have a bad day. But Cross noticed that Nordhoff seemed a little more quiet and reserved when he returned from boot camp. When the two roomed together their freshman year of college, Nordhoff would clean the house and put away the dishes.\n"He was used to taking orders," Cross said. "It took him a month to re-adjust and get back to his laughing, joking personality."\nUnder a six-year contract as a Marine reservist, Nordhoff could be called for duty at any time. On Sept. 11, his commanding officer told him to be ready, but it would be April 2003 before Nordhoff left for the Middle East.\nNordhoff was excited to go and said goodbye with his unit in Indianapolis. When he saw his mother cry, the departure became more emotional. He said his friends wondered if this was the last time they were going to see "Nordie."\n"My friends told me to keep my head down, not up," Nordhoff said. "You'd think they'd tell me to keep my head up, but they didn't want me to get shot."\nHe played a baseball video game for the 16-hour plane ride to Kuwait. When they arrived, the cabin lights were immediately turned off -- just so enemy fire wouldn't shoot from the outside. He turned off his video game.\n"That was the starting point," Nordhoff said. "That's when I realized that I was going to war."\nNordhoff was trained as a field radio operator, and it was his job to tell the infantry what was going on in battle. He eventually adjusted to hearing gunshots and bombs exploding, but was surprised that he didn't get sand goggles and that only the sandbags on his Humvee would protect him from bullets.\nHomesickness hit hard at the four-month mark. He was disappointed that he was in Kuwait for the Fourth of July, where he attended a Marine feast and drank Arabic tea.\n"I was in a desert," said Nordhoff, who usually celebrated his favorite holiday at a cookout watching the fireworks. "I wish I could've been with my friends."\nBack in Bloomington, his friends wished he was with them, too. Cross would leave his AOL Instant Messenger on all night, devoting part of his profile to Nordhoff, informing him about the latest parties and the dating scene. Nordhoff would leave messages about the 100-degree heat, the Iraqi people and patrol night fire.\nNow that Nordhoff is back at IU, he is determined to make up for lost time and play more of a part in college life. He lived independently for three years but was recently initiated into Acacia fraternity's pledge class.\nHis tour of the Middle East still feels like a dream, but he frequently looks at the 80 pictures he took to remind himself that he was actually there. He wishes he could have brought a video camera to show people the good times, like when he talked to Iraqi children and played basketball with the troops.\n"You never see the good parts on TV," Nordhoff said. "It just shows who died and which soldier messed up."\nNordhoff, who did not vote in this year's presidential election, is indifferent to Bush's victory because he did not think either candidate had the best strategy for Iraq. He's worried about Iraq's future.\n"I'm happy to go to any war," Nordhoff said, "but I don't want to occupy countries. You'll never win the war on terrorism. We got Saddam out. Hopefully, within a year, we'll train more Iraqi soldiers and get out."\nCross thinks that Nordhoff has re-adjusted to college life but now has a different mindset.\n"Before he went to war, he was a gung-ho Marine," Cross said. "He would say stuff like he'd hunt down Osama bin Laden. Now he's more mature and takes things seriously. He's got more perspective, and it made him look at life and be more appreciative."\n-- Contact staff writer Jessica Levco at jlevco@indiana.edu.