Military Men Reflect on Careers, Motivations

Humvees, Seabees, and Howitzers were on the table Monday night as two combat-tried members of the armed forces told a crowd of about 25 students what they do in the military and why.

Sponsored by the Hamilton Society, an undergraduate military advocacy group, the presentation was part of the Why We Serve program launched by Defense Secretary Robert Gates in an attempt to increase civilian understanding of the military and its role in society.

Marine Corps Captain John Sand told of an Iraqi man who, after Sand’s unit had spent time working to stabilize the man’s village, presented him with the names and locations of several insurgents.

“That was a big lightbulb for me,” Sand said, “That this old guy would go out of his way to say, ‘Okay, here’s a list of bad guys and where you can go find them, because we don’t want them in our town.’”

“There were wonderful things,” Air Force Staff Sergeant Jason Kimberling said of his time serving in Afghanistan. “Helping birth babies, building hospitals, watching kids go to school for the first time in their lives. There were days when people shot at you. It happens.”

While Sand’s unit was serving in Fallujah, the brother of one of his Marines was killed in action elsewhere in Iraq.

“You bring in this 21-year-old Marine and tell him his brother died in Baghdad today,” Sand said. “That’s a hard thing.”

Another hardship of military life, both said, was the family separation. “That night before you get on a plane,” Sand said, “when you’re holding your kids, if there aren’t some tears in your eye, I think there’s something wrong with you.”

When asked about media coverage of the war, Sand and Kimberling said they often found it one-sided, but were not excessively bothered by public perceptions.

“I’ve walked through a lot of villages in Afghanistan where the Taliban has come through and cut the hands off all the children,” Kimberling said. “When you see those things, it’s pretty clear in my mind the difference between what’s right and what’s wrong. I know why I’m there.”

They also denied concern about the implications of this year’s elections for the war.
“I serve at the pleasure of the president,” Sand said. “If it’s the guy I voted for or the woman I voted for, great. If not, I’m still doing my job.”

Audience members said they appreciated hearing about the military from a first-hand perspective.

“On a very political campus, you run into a lot of misconceptions about what you do, what it involves,” event organizer Austin Byrd, CC ’10 and a Marine Corps Officer Candidate, said. “This brings the military community into the civilian community in a way that doesn’t usually happen.”

Byrd said the Hamilton Society invited campus groups including the College Democrats, the College Republicans, and the International Socialist Organization to attend, and said he was “disappointed” that none chose to do so. Leaders from all three groups cited time constraints.

Marc Fitorre, SEAS ’10 and a Marine Corps Officer Candidate, praised the event’s goals.
“These men—they’ve done so much for the cause their country has decided for them,” Fitorre said. “The least we owe them is to listen to them.”

mary.kohlmann@columbiaspectator.com