Vets face little overt hostility on campuses, but they feel different from other students
By EDWARD M. EVELD
The Kansas City Star
On campus, it’s the little things.
Walking past a group of street-corner war protesters, the ones holding signs that say “Honk for peace,” Trisha Marie Thompson has a visceral reaction.
She has seen the protesters before. She knows deep down they aren’t taking aim at her personally. Still …
“I just want to run home, put on my uniform and walk up to them and say, ‘I think you guys are misinformed.’ ”
In a political science class, Gerald Caetano listens with gritted teeth as another student, 18 or 19 years old, broadly states that the military is “over there torturing Iraqis” just like Saddam Hussein did.
“I know when to bite my tongue,” Caetano said. “When I first got back, I would almost have to hold myself in my chair.”
Felix Zacharias usually prefers not to discuss his war experience with strangers, especially when he hears this question: “So did you kill anybody?”
“It’s not fair,” Zacharias said. “It’s about as insulting as asking, ‘How many people have you had sex with?’ ”
Thousands of troops who served in Iraq and Afghanistan are trying to get back to normal by starting or continuing their college educations. They aren’t returning to campuses that are hotbeds of anti-war ferment.
Far from it. Instead, in-your-face episodes are occasional but powerful reminders to service members on campus that they’re a little bit, well, different.
“There’s no real openly negative response like there was for the Vietnam veterans,” said Dan Parker of the Collegiate Veterans Association, a campus group begun last year at the University of Kansas. “The worst-case scenario is you kind of get ignored, but at least they’re not spitting on you. Most people are considerate enough to realize that if they disagree with the war, don’t take it out on the veterans.”
Parker said there’s often a social disconnect with other students, who aren’t sure how to react to someone with such a different life experience. Plus, those back from Iraq and Afghanistan typically are older than traditional students.
“As soon as somebody knows you’re a few years older and a veteran, a lot of times that throws up a wall,” he said.
Zacharias is a 25-year-old sophomore in political science at KU and a sergeant in the Marine Corps Reserves. He was on active duty from 2000 to 2004 but hadn’t been rotated to Iraq or Afghanistan. He didn’t feel right about that.
“I wanted to go to Iraq very badly,” he said.
Working at a Belton Marine Corps reserve center, Zacharias made it known he wanted to be deployed. He got his wish in the spring of 2006. Among his duties in Iraq were company police sergeant, turret gunner and company intelligence chief.
Zacharias returned to Kansas City at the end of April this year and re-enrolled at KU. He hadn’t declared a major before and now has decided on political science.
“I’d like to get into government,” he said. “I’ll do some internships here and there. Right now I’m used to being the instrument. I’d like to see how the mechanism works.”
Most times, his military service doesn’t come up in casual conversation. When it does, nearly everyone is respectful, he said. But he declines to answer the “did you kill anyone?” query.
“I mean, I didn’t, but I don’t like the question,” he said. “I’ve been shot at. I’ve had people in my sights and had to make a judgment call not to do it.”
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To reach Edward M. Eveld, features writer, call 816-234-4442 or send e-mail to eeveld@kcstar.com.
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