As a potential war with Iraq hangs over the nation, some University students are preparing for the possibility of being sent into combat.
At a training exercise on Sunday, units in the Virginia Army National Guard's 29th Infantry Division learned they will go on active duty starting Nov. 1.
One of these units was Charlottesville's Company A, 2nd Battalion, 116th Infantry.
"They had told us it was very likely we would be going on active duty about a month and a half ago, and gave orders for a six-day mobilization training exercise," said fourth-year Commerce student Matt Bulloch, a private first class in the company.
As part of the nation's war against terrorism, 41,000 of those enlisted in the National Guard have been mobilized under Operation Enduring Freedom and Noble Eagle.
Ordinarily, the National Guard is under the control of the governor for use in statewide emergencies, said Mary Sunderlin, administrative assistant to the Adjunct General.
"When on active duty they are under the control of the president and become federal command," Sunderlin said.
The Department of Defense decides when to mobilize units for active duty, she added.
Bulloch said the call to duty was rare and might be a step toward war with Iraq.
"They're going to be sent somewhere," Sunderlin said. "It just depends on what their mission is as to where they're going. They'll get that information once they get to their mobilization site, which is Ft. Bragg," in North Carolina.
The soldiers will continue on active duty for at least a year. But the Secretary of the Army could extend this period to two years, Sunderlin said.
"It's a huge inconvenience, but I'll go support our elected officials and do whatever they need to do," Bulloch said.
Though he is prepared to serve his part in a potential war, Bulloch said he tried to put aside the political debates around it.
"I might have the answers to world problems, but sometimes your company just needs you to be G.I. Joe," he said.
The last time the Charlottesville unit had a mandatory call-up was during the 1970s, Bulloch said.
The call for active duty would affect at least two other University students enlisted in the infantry, he added.
While the students serving their tours of duty won't be able to finish this semester, they do not have to drop out permanently, Bulloch said.
University policy allows students called up for active duty either to withdraw and receive a full tuition refund or receive an "incomplete" mark on their transcripts. Bulloch said he'd been working with his professors and even planned to do a one-credit sociology project on the training experience.
"The University really rolls out the red carpet for people in the National Guard," he said.
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