It's back to school time for Soldiers in the Ohio Guard

Courtesy Photo |  

11.25.2005

Courtesy Story

207th Public Affairs Detachment

University students from the Ohio National Guard are packing their bags and crossing their fingers in the hopes they will be home for winter quarter.
The 211th Maintenance Company, based in Newark, Ohio, has spent the last 11 months fixing everything from radios to heavy construction equipment in Iraq. This month they turned most of their work over to the civilian contracting company Kellogg, Brown and Root, and are looking forward to the green hills of Ohio.
"We're counting the days," said Master Sgt. Nathan Van Oort, an electrical technician with the 211th who works for Ohio University campus security when he's not in Iraq.
The Ohio Soldiers don't know the exact date of their return, but most assume it will be within a month " just in time for winter quarter at Ohio University and the near-by Hocking College.
"There's an important class I need to take. If I don't make it, it will put me off a year," said Sgt. Brendan Pishnery, a heavy wheel mechanic with the 211th and an accounting major. "I"d like to take a semester off, but it's not going to happen."
Spc. Lyndi Shoemaker, an air conditioning technician with the 211th and a marine biology major, said that not being able to go to school for a year has made her realize how important an education is.
"I just want to get back into it and get it done," Shoemaker said. "You really want to accomplish your goals quickly because you never know what could happen."
One of the most memorable experiences they had was beating several active duty units in a sling-loading competition.
"The active duty guys talked a lot, until they saw what we could do," Van Oort said.
Soldiers also reminisced about the struggles they had on deployment.
"I'm on a team of about 15 guys. We come from all over Ohio and have different values," Pishnery said. "You can't avoid them if you don't like them. You work, you eat, you live with those same people for a year."
The Ohio Soldiers said that they would always remember the support they received from back home. Shoemaker recounted how an 11-year-old boy asked everyone at his birthday party to bring an item for a care package instead of a present.
They boxed everything up and sent it to the Soldiers in Iraq.
Spc. Matthew Kuhn, a heavy wheel mechanic with the 211th and an eco tourism major, said they received a care package with hundreds of CDs and DVDs from a benefit concert held at the Blue Gator, a bar in Athens, Ohio owned by former Marine and journalist Terry Anderson.
"We really appreciated all the care packages," Shoemaker said. "Even if people don't agree with why we're here, or if we should be over here, they've been really supportive of us."
As their time in theater winds down, most of the Ohio Soldiers said they will pass the time by going to the gym and watching movies. Shoemaker, however, is busier than ever. She has the most important job of all: getting everyone's redeployment paperwork done so they can make it back in time for school.

• Date Taken: 11.25.2005
• Date Posted: 11.25.2005 06:51
• Story ID: 3853