Single veterans back from deployment have a new mission: Re-enter the world of dating

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It’s on an actual date that Moore believes he really shines.

“When I’m one-on-one I can show that I have something to offer,” he says. “I’m a stable person. I have great finances for someone my age. And I am very unselfish and will do anything for anybody.

“The only problem is I’m thinking: ‘Oh, boy, is she comfortable? Make sure you keep her talking. Am I listening enough?’ Sometimes I may be trying too hard and putting too much pressure on myself.”

He’s certainly not giving up looking for someone. That includes keeping his eyes open as a full-time student at Neosho County Community College in Ottawa, Kan. Make that wide open.

“I just can’t help it,” Moore says. “There are beautiful women everywhere.”

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The Stephen Burns who in October 2005 left to serve his country in Afghanistan was on the shy side and tended to be bothered by little things.

The Stephen Burns who came home in October 2006 was more outgoing and no longer troubled by the trivial.

“I basically just loosened up as a person,” Burns says. “I like to go out and have a good time. Look for a date, you know? Just have fun.”

The 22-year-old didn’t have to look far for Tina Clayton, who lives next door to him in Gardner in Johnson County. The two have been casually dating, and Clayton has enjoyed hanging out with a military man.

“I actually find it fascinating,” Clayton says. “I’ve always been big on the guys serving our country. We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for them.”

Burns’ transformation in Afghanistan was no accident.

“I came to an agreement with myself — my soul, I guess you could say — that, hey, if I die over there, I die over there,” Burns says. “And all of this little stuff that I’d been worrying about back home just wasn’t worth it anymore, like getting angry in rush-hour traffic. I was glad just to come home and drive something.”

The new Burns — a U.S. Army sergeant in the reserves and full-time aircraft mechanic — is certainly someone who likes to party. Like he did on his first Halloween night back home, when he and some pals hit the haunted houses and then went carousing on the Country Club Plaza.

“Before the night was over I was passed out in my buddy’s Jeep and I had a $300 bill for nothing but shots,” he recalls. “And this was after the bartender and the bar owner were buying us drinks.”

But that brand of excess “kind of got old and expensive,” Burns acknowledges, and he has since cut back on the bar scene. Now he’s as likely to be at the mall.

“If I’m out doing stuff, like buying clothes,” he says, “I’ll see an attractive girl and say, ‘Hey, how are you doing? Are you having a good day?’ I’ll start up a conversation. And if it feels like things are going OK, I might get a little risky and say, ‘Hey, what are you doing next week?’ ”

Burns’ batting average?

“Not so good,” he says. “But, honestly, I’m most comfortable like this. I enjoy making women laugh and having a good time and getting a little rise out of them. As far as I can tell, it’s who I am. The way I see it, I’m not any different than any other guy, except that I spent a year in the sand.”

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To reach Brian McTavish, call 816-234-4766 send e-mail to bmctavish@kcstar.com.