Army Lt. Chris Goodrich used to attend the University, participate in ROTC drills on the Lawn and eat at Pavilion XI. His life changed dramatically when he was deployed to Iraq last year.
"These people lived in adobe mud huts with no running water," Goodrich said. "They still always wanted you to come in and eat lunch with them. They would give me goat's milk, and I would have to drink it because it was impolite not to, and I would be paying for it for the next three days."
Goodrich was stationed in an area originally occupied by the Kurds, many of whom were later pushed out and replaced with Arabs loyal to Saddam Hussein.
"We had to deal with a lot of issues, trying to mediate between the Arabs and the Kurds," Goodrich said.
Goodrich, along with four other University graduates and three other officers who were stationed in Iraq, spoke to current ROTC members in Wilson Hall yesterday. Between 40 and 50 University alumni currently are stationed in Iraq or Afghanistan, Army ROTC chair Hampton Hite said.
Captain Tara Spears said she also had positive experiences with Iraqis in the hospital where she was stationed.
"They had nothing but respect for us," Spears said. "Even if it was just a small piece of bread, they wanted to give us gifts as a thank you. They were all very grateful for the medical care and everything as far as bringing freedom to their country."
Lieutenant Kimmy White said she initially had trouble working with Iraqi vendors.
"Eventually, they learned they would have to talk to me, they would have to invite me into their building, and they would have to deal with me to get anything done," White said.
Jim Holzgrefe said the Iraqi people expressed a desire for stability.
"They want to make sure their kids have a school to go to, a stable place to live and not have to worry about the secret police knocking at their door," Holzgrefe said. "When you talk to those people, it's really enlightening. They are the people who suffered the most."
Holzgrefe also said the Iraqi people demonstrated their appreciation when he traveled to Baghdad.
"I felt like a rock star," he said. "The people were waving and throwing candy. It was an awesome experience to see how excited those people were."
It wasn't always easy, however. Goodrich said conditions in Iraq were uncomfortable and challenging.
"Basically, it was hot and dusty," Goodrich said. "It was over 120 most of the summer. Of course we were always in body armor, and men carried 50 to 60 pounds. Basically, we were soaked in sweat for three or four months."
Goodrich said providing strong leadership in the small town in which he was stationed was a key element of his position.
"I was dealing with the local major on a day-to-day basis and trying to provide law and order," Goodrich said. "The infrastructure there was falling apart. We tried to make life a little better for those people."
Lieutenant Jaime Sullivan said initially her new leadership position intimidated her, but her ROTC training enabled her to command her platoon for eight months.
"I had an awesome experience," Sullivan said. "I wish I was still there. At times it was very stressful, but it was also very rewarding."
White added that while she was well-trained, there were some situations that she could not prepare for.
"We got out there and had to fly by the seat of our pants," White said. "A lot of the stuff we did was not in the book. I got down there and got dirty and learned about the equipment that way."
Hite said the goal of the program was to present students with information about different types of army careers and assess the University's ROTC program. According to the panelists, the University has prepared students adequately.
"I was really nervous about going into the army when I first went in, but as soon as I got to my officer basic course and I looked around me, I was really confident," Sullivan said. "I felt really prepared. I really felt I received a lot of invaluable training."
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