Legacy

“As a kid, I saw a veteran as [an old] bum,” said James Wyant, a clean-cut microbiology sophomore with glasses.  “Now, I am one.”

Wyant, 26, received his discharge letter from the U.S. Navy last August. Wyant, like other men and women on campus, made the decision to postpone higher education to serve his country.

Charlie Pruitt, a 25-year-old landscape architecture sophomore, also delayed college for the military. Like Wyant, Pruitt agrees that he does not picture himself when he hears the word “veteran.”  Instead, he conjures up images of his grandfather.

“There is such a greatness associated with [being a veteran], you don’t associate it with yourself,” Pruitt said.

Although these students say they do not feel like heroes, veterans or patriots, they are. They have traveled from Iraq and back – and today, they are Tigers.

By Sea

“I knew that I always wanted to go to college, but I had no way to pay for it,” Wyant said. “Also, joining the Navy was a way to delay the decision of what path to pursue.”

Wyant explained that his family was supportive when he joined the Navy, despite that he did not come from a military upbringing.  In fact, he said his maternal grandfather led a pacifist organization and his father was not drafted into the Vietnam War because he was in seminary to become a United Church of Christ minister.

He said his friends and family thoroughly backed his decision, but he recalled being frequently questioned about what he would do if there were a war. He responded confidently, “There’s not going to be a war for at least 10 years.”

Wyant joined the military in August 2001.

“I was in boot camp when 9/11 happened … I woke up to tanks in the streets, civilian lockdown, and anti-raiding jacks … like you see on the beaches of Normandy in ‘Saving Private Ryan,’ ” he said.  “It was so surreal that we thought it had to be a training exercise.”

Wyant explained that nearly 300 recruits were corralled into a room to watch about one hour of pre-recorded CNN footage.

He was certain the Navy would buy him some time, but Wyant said he never imagined that he would serve six years in the military during wartime.

During the following years at sea, Wyant served on a submarine and received several medals for his service in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.

Wyant, a Los Angeles native, explained that the Navy allowed him to travel.

He said he lived in eight states, and joked that he also resided under water.

“I could never compile a complete list of the admirable people I served with,” Wyant said.  “My most enjoyable moment though, would be riding on the surface [of the ocean] at top speed at dawn without any land in sight.”

While Wyant said he feels his military experience was a positive one, he warns that the military is not for everyone.

“I would recommend the military to very few people. … I think it would be damaging to most people,” Wyant said. “I have seen people literally driven insane.”

Aside from the risks of pirates and battle, he said the day-to-day life in a submarine was unsettling.  He said there was no privacy in the cramped quarters of the submarine.  He also discussed how laborious it could be to do dirty jobs deep underwater.

One particular incident haunts him: A mechanical error shot sewage into the ship instead of the ocean. The crew was not allowed to surface for five days – after everything was cleaned.

“There was a geyser in the kitchen [ruining food],” he said, laughing, finding humor in a gruesome incident.  “It looked like three inch fudge mix.”

Situations like these caused the crew to call the vessel the “U.S.S. Green Evil” instead of its proper name, the Greenville.

Upon coming home from Iraq, Wyant was not only happy to be on dry land but also about how gracious most people were.  He said he surprised by the support for the troops, no matter the political party or opinion on the war.

“I feel like the veterans have gotten unprecedented support from the public, regardless of political belief,” Wyant said.

By Land

“I didn’t value college … I felt really bad for [letting down] my parents,” Pruitt said.

Pruitt explained that he joined the military in 2003 after a failed attempt at McNeese State University in his hometown of Lake Charles, La.

He said he didn’t research the military before joining; his decision to enlist was based on an article in the local newspaper about a friend who served in the initial invasion of Iraq.  He was intrigued by how the story featured his friend as a hero.

Pruitt decided to test the waters.

He told his friends and family he was considering joining the military to gauge their reactions.

“They said, ‘Oh, cool.’  I wanted to hear ‘no, no, don’t do it’  … I felt obligated [to join],” he joked.

With the support of his family and the advice of his military grandfather, Pruitt joined the Marines.

When Pruitt enlisted, he said he felt passionate about the cause he was defending in a post-9/11 world.

He spoke a lot about the camaraderie he felt with his fellow marines.  Pruitt explained that trust was key when it came to ground work in Iraq.

“Knowing that other people suffered through the same things as you really helps forge a relationship,” he said.

He described how interactions with civilians affected his view on the war. He said he was rarely scared on the ground in Iraq, but he warned in some cases he should have been.

“Tuesdays and Thursdays [insurgents] shot at us ,” Pruitt said, laughing at terrorist groups’ failed attempts to invoke fear in American soldiers.  “No one was ever injured … When they got off work, [they would] come shoot [rockets at] us.  They were terrible shots.”

He said Iraq was not how people would picture it.  There were rocky deserts, and he compared the dress of people in rural areas to the garb of “biblical times,” except they carried guns.  He also described the daunting scenery of rusted rockets and vacated buildings from the Persian Gulf War.

He described the Iraqi shepherd families that lived in tents, with only a few pots and pans and how his unit did what they could to help them.  Pruitt said he gave children toys and school supplies, families water and provided whatever other services he could.

Pruitt, like Wyant, discussed how sewage proved to be a problem while in the desert.  He said while protecting a highway in a rural area of Iraq, he and a handful of other men lived in a small, deserted, two-room building without indoor – or outdoor – plumbing.

He said the men had to dig holes to urinate in and other waste had to be put in a bag and burned.  When he finally got to a base with portable toilets he said he remembered feeling like it was “heaven.”

However, there were greater concerns while protecting the highway.  Pruitt said people would come to their fort and threaten them.  No attack ever actually occurred.

While Pruitt feels the Iraqi people are in great need of American assistance, he said they are not always accepting of help.  He added that he felt conflicted about everything he saw in Iraq.

“I didn’t necessarily agree with everything we did … but who am I to question?” he said.  “You want to see it work out for those people.  But at the same time they aren’t helping themselves.”

From Soldiers to Students

While their time in service was always stressful and sometimes scary, both Pruitt and Wyant agree it made them the men they are today.

During his time overseas, Pruitt said he realized how much “better” his life was than those of the Iraqi people.

“I was lucky enough [that] my parents could help me go to school.  It was a maturing process,” he said about how his military experience made him thankful for all of the privileges he had at home.  “I wanted nothing more than to go to school.”

Pruitt decided to go to LSU and worked hard to accomplish his goal.  He first attended Baton Rouge Community College to pull up his G.P.A. in order to enroll in the University.

Pruitt took a summer class at the University in 2008 and received an “A,” proving to himself and his family he could succeed at LSU.

“I want to design, something and see it come to life,” he said proudly, smiling through his 5 o’clock shadow.

While the Montgomery GI Bill helps Wyant with the financial aspects of student life, he also feels his personal growth spurred by his time in the military caused him to be the student he is today.

Currently in his fourth semester at LSU, Wyant has maintained a 3.8 G.P.A. and hopes to become a doctor.

“I know I’ll be in my 30s when I’m done with med school,” he said, laughing.  “In 10 years, I’ll be 10 years older no matter what I do, so I might as well pursue what I want. ”Wyant said that the age difference between he and his peers is not an issue.

“My friends may make fun of me, or call me an old man,” he said with a smirk. “But it’s no worse than what I call them.”

All jokes aside, Wyant said the LSU community is very accepting.

“I am glad to finally be [in college]. I feel that the label of ‘student’ and the label of ‘veteran’ seem to be different in society, but they aren’t,” he said.  “A student is someone who is working hard … and wants to accomplish something for the good of mankind. I would like to think that is the mission of the U.S. military.”