Future holds uncertainty
for soldiers
By Megan Finnerty
Features
Editor
When his phone rang Tuesday morning, Bob Weaver
knew the call could change his life.
The junior in computer technology is a member of
the Marine Corps Reserves and received four calls Tuesday after the
terrorist attacks on the country.
"Basically they said, 'Get all your gear ready,
make sure you have all your gear inventoried, and be ready to leave,'"
he said.
The other calls informed him about who he should
contact and how many times a day he should call.
"If we do get called, we're ready to step out the
door," he said. "I guess this proves that in the Marine Corps, we're
the first to go and I'm ready to go; I hate just sitting back."
Weaver, an engineer for the Marines, could be called
on to build bridges, buildings and other structures, or asked to destroy
them.
The Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps reserves
offer students a chance to go to college on scholarship in exchange
for several days' service during the year.
Therefore, colleges are full of students who woke
Tuesday morning, turned on their TVs and faced uncertainty about what
the next few days would hold.
Many in these Federal defense organizations, such
as Weaver, wondered if they would be put on alert or called to fight.
But for other reserves, action is not yet necessary,
according to Lonnie Sloane, the senior civilian representative for the
300th support battalion of the Army Reserve.
Sloane, who is from a regional office, said the
Army Reserve is not on alert right now, but that is not to say it won't
be called on in the future.
"Right now, the situation is a state one and not
a federal one," he said, referring to the fact that the national government
has not called on its reserves, although some states, such as New York,
have employed their National Guard.
Jenni Hendrickson is getting her teacher certification
and is in the Air Force Reserve and has not been activated. She hopes
she doesn't have to be.
"As of now, I don't think I'll be called on," she
said.
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