Students to deploy soon

By Tiffeny Fields
Staff Writer

Several students have been missing from
campus for nearly three weeks.

They weren’t kidnapped or abducted by aliens.

They are members of the Army National Guard
and were ordered to report for active duty on
Sept. 20.

The soldiers have left for Ft. Stewart, Ga. for training, before eventually mobilizing for
‘Operation Iraqi Freedom.’

Soldiers representing Robeson, Scotland,
Richmond and surrounding counties will be
deployed for at least one year, and it will likely be fall 2005 before they are able to return to school.

Three UNCP students are part of Company B, 105th Engineer Battalion in Laurinburg: senior Spc. Bill Alsobrook, graduate student 1st Lt. Robert Earl Chavis, Jr. and junior Sgt. John Craft.

Other students from local colleges and universities include Spc. Carlilse Hughes, 1st Lt. Jonathan Hester and Sgt. Jason Jones.

All of the men look forward to learning about another culture while being a part of this peacekeeping mission.

They will miss things like home cooking, bluegrass music, church gatherings and fraternity events, but all of them agreed they would miss “family time” the most.

“I’m not happy about leaving family behind, but it’s something that’s got to be done. The Iraqi people deserve freedom just as much as we do and in that sense, it’s worth it,” Alsobrook said.

Chavis asked classmates to “keep us in their prayers,” and Alsobrook added, “I’ll see everyone when I get back.”

Their student status and financial aid packages will be protected so they won’t need to reapply when they return home. According to Registrar Sara Brackin, soldiers need a copy of their orders to be withdrawn from classes without academic penalty. When returning to school, they simply need to fill out a readmit form.

Brackin would not comment on the number of UNCP students in the Army National Guard that have withdrawn from classes for active duty.

The Financial Aid Office is also beginning the process of notifying student loan lenders of the soldiers’ active military status.

A ceremony was held for the battalion on Sat. Oct. 4 at Scotland High School. Company B received a state flag to be flown throughout their deployment.

Anyone who would like to keep in touch with these soldiers should contact the Rear Operations Commander at (910) 276-0578.