Courtesy Photo | Capt. Edie Alcorn (middle in white shirt), an anti-terrorism officer deployed at Camp...... read more read more
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By Sgt. Sarah Scully
40th Public Affairs Detachment
KUWAIT - The day before she started teaching high school physics classes, she pulled into her driveway and saw a manila envelope wedged in her door.
She didn't have to look inside to know what it contained.
Capt. Edie Alcorn, a 29-year-old West Point graduate, military policeman and physics teacher, had dreaded receiving the notice the Army sent her Sept. 2, 2006.
She joined thousands of other Soldiers hoping to get through the last remaining years on their original eight-year contracts, only to receive orders and a summons to leave behind the civilian life they'd created and rejoin the active-duty Army overseas in combat.
"I knew it was possible, but I always hoped I wouldn't get called," said Alcorn, now an anti-terrorism officer deployed at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait supporting Third Army/U.S. Army Central.
The Army has called up nearly 6,000 of the more than 100,000 Soldiers enrolled in the Individual Ready Reserve since America invaded Iraq four years ago.
Many Soldiers serve three-to-five years on active duty before either joining the IRR, National Guard or Army Reserve.
Although displaced from their lives, Alcorn and other Soldiers recognize their commitment to serve. They volunteered to sign the eight-year contract.
But it's still difficult for many of them to walk away and start living a former chapter of their lives.
"I had to walk out on 150 kids," said Alcorn, an Iraqi war veteran who had to stand in front of her class and tell the students she was about to serve in a combat zone once again.
At first angry and resentful, she quickly felt the support and appreciation from her students at Centreville High School in Clifton, Va., a suburb of Washington, D.C.
"One of them yelled out, 'Go get 'em Miss Alcorn.' A couple of them said, 'We're proud of you,'" said Alcorn, who reacted with tears to their encouragement.
"And then the whole class started clapping," she said. "It was really sweet and overwhelming - that was the first moment I felt proud of what I was doing."
Stories like hers are common among Soldiers who thought they had fulfilled their commitment to the Army, particularly those who had already served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
As a college student pursuing a computer engineering degree, Spc. Raymond Henry thought his Army career was in the past.
But right before Christmas 2005, he received the manila envelope mandating a report date in about 30 days.
"I opened it, and it didn't hit me at first," said 26-year-old Henry, a resident of Bronx, N.Y.
"I didn't want to believe it – we were pretty emotional around that time."
As a supply specialist, Henry now helps monitor containers and supplies coming through Camp Arifjan.
For 545 days, his life has taken a different path than he originally intended.
"I feel like I just got my life put on hold for 18 months," said Henry, who plans to continue his degree and get married to his fiancee once he gets home.
Henry's family migrated to America from Jamaica when he was a child to pursue better opportunities, and in November 2006 he became an American citizen while deployed.
"I'm proud of the uniform – I'm a Soldier, and this is what I do," said Henry.
"I just never thought there was a need to call us back."
For 50-year-old Staff Sgt. Tony Hays, he fell back on his faith and family to make peace with the new direction in his life.
"When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade – otherwise, it's going to be a very sour experience," said Hays, a police officer from Tyler, Texas, who originally disliked getting the summons but re-enlisted this month to finish up his 20-year military career.
A veteran of the Cold War, Grenada, Desert Shield, Desert Storm and Iraq, he said he wanted to fulfill his obligation to the Army and extended for another year at Camp Arifjan as a military police intelligence officer.
After the 1991 invasion of Kuwait by Iraq where more than 20,000 IRR Soldiers served, Hays decided to take the $7,000 a year to get out of the active Army and stay in the IRR when former President Bill Clinton moved to downsize the military.
"By doing that, that's how they were able to hook out and reach me," said Hays, a father of two college students who always knew he could receive a letter at any time.
"In case I was ever called back, I kept three uniforms ready."
When Hays reported for duty, he heard of several Americans who had refused to answer their summons – a problem the Army has addressed by initiating Uniform Code of Military Justice actions, which can include prison time and a dishonorable discharge.
"If I refused to answer that letter, I wouldn't have been able to look myself in the face," said Hays. "Everything happens for a reason – you just have to go with the flow."
But individuals such as Alcorn worry they won't be able to get back into the flow started after serving their initial commitment, a problem reported by many Desert Storm IRR veterans.
"When I got out, everything fell into place and I feel like just to get back where I was could take five-to-10 years," said Alcorn. "All those things I had when I left are not guaranteed when I get back.
"I kind of feel like my life was taken away from me."
With President George W. Bush's initative to send 30,000 additional troops to fight the Global War on Terror, IRR Soldiers still have a chance of getting called back to active duty.
Alcorn said she understands using the IRR if the Soldiers-turned-civilians are crucial to win stability in the Middle East, but she also had an important job serving America's children.
"I think I was serving a purpose for our country in the classroom – and I don't think one calling is greater than the other," said Alcorn. Still, "I think about the magnitude of what we're doing right now, and that's what makes me think I'm needed here."
| Date Taken: | 03.28.2007 |
| Date Posted: | 03.28.2007 13:21 |
| Story ID: | 9648 |
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| Web Views: | 141 |
| Downloads: | 68 |
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