Student soldiers put college on hold for deployment

College will be put on hold for students who will be deployed to Iraq next year. About 60 to 75 IU students are part of the Army National Guard 76th Infantry Brigade which has begun to prepare for deployment, said senior and Indiana Army National Guard Sgt. Brian Binkley in an e-mail.\n“A lot of student soldiers are not fans of having to stop college for a deployment, but they have to do what they have to do,” Binkley said in an e-mail. “It’s what they signed up for, and we’re proud to serve our country and state.”\nThe brigade will go to Camp Atterbury, near Edinburgh, Ind., some time in December for 10 days of training, Binkley said. They will then have 10 days off for Christmas before heading to Fort Stewart, Ga., for more training in January and February. After training, they will spend about nine to 10 months in Iraq.\nBinkley, 25, said in a phone interview that he is more optimistic about this trip overseas than when he left for Afghanistan in 2004.\n“It isn’t that bad at all,” Binkley said. “It’s shorter than my previous tour.”\nIU has worked to help its student soldiers finish their degrees, Binkley said. He added he finished his sophomore year while in Afghanistan and plans to work on his degree while in Iraq. \nIU Veterans Support Services helps students take advantage of IU’s “Reserves Called to Active Duty Policy,” said the group’s director, Margaret Baechtold. The policy minimizes disruptions for students fulfilling their military responsibilities, giving them a 100 percent refund for tuition and fees after classes are withdrawn.\n“Students who leave under policy can be placed on military leave of absence,” Baechtold said.\nA military leave of absence also allows students to keeps their IU accounts, such as Webmail and Onestart.\nSenior Tara Virgil, 21, who is also part of the Army National Guard 76th Infantry Brigade, said the assistance from Veterans Support Services has been helpful. She said she will be able to keep her IU e-mail address and register for classes in the spring of 2009. \nVirgil has already withdrawn from classes this semester because she would have missed midterms and finals due to training. She decided she didn’t want to focus on school work before she went to Iraq.\n“All I can think about is that my life is going to stop for one whole year,” Virgil said. “I think a lot about family and friends and what I’m going to miss that year. I think about fellow soldiers and just hope that all of them come back.”\nVirgil said her unit has been told their training and time in Iraq will total one year. This is just an estimate, and more time can be added later, she said.\n“We all think we’re coming back in a year, but we all know that can be extended,” Virgil said.\nSophomore Amanda Brezina, 22, went to Afghanistan with the brigade two years ago. She said her unit was promised they would not be deployed \noverseas again until 2010. However, Brezina said she was notified her unit plans to redeploy overseas in 2008.\n“It’s frustrating,” Brezina said. “It was a promise, but due to the situation, there’s not a lot we can do.”\nBrezina said she joined the National Guard in October of 2002 for the experience and to help pay for college. She said, at that time, she was told to expect deployment overseas once every six years.\n“I expected one, but I didn’t expect two in five years,” Brezina said.\nBrezina said she still doesn’t regret joining the National Guard, but she said it has been frustrating to put her life on hold.\n“My time in has been a really positive experience,” Brezina said. “Being in this type of job you always prepare for anything because you never know what to expect.”