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AN INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SERVING THE GW COMMUNITY SINCE 1904

The GW Hatchet

Serving the GW Community since 1904

The GW Hatchet

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Officials name senior vice president, chief of staff
By Fiona Riley, Assistant News Editor • March 26, 2024

Former Lambda Chi president to serve in Iraq

Senior David Austin had a lot to look forward to as he entered his final year of college.

He was finishing up a degree in engineering, leading as president of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity and making plans for the future. But all of that had to be put on hold when he found out that he was going to be deployed to Iraq.

Austin, who is known by his peers as “Bama,” is a member of the D.C. National Guard and is leaving campus Monday to begin training for a yearlong tour of duty in Iraq. Preparation, deployment and his return will take about two years to complete.

Austin, a self-described typical Southern boy from Alabama, said he came to D.C. to see the bigger picture. His involvement with the military began at the end of his freshman year as a means to supplement scholarship money to pay for college. While Austin said he usually works for the National Guard for about two weeks out of the year, this year he was told to see the commander.

“She told me that my name came up on a list of names that were ideal to be sent to Iraq,” he said, listing off the characteristics of being young and single as reasons for being chosen. “She told me to take care of my affairs and then I’d be off.”

Austin said serving overseas was not something that was on his radar when he joined the military only two months after the invasion in Iraq began in March 2003.

“They always said it was a possibility,” he said, adding that he didn’t expect U.S. forces to remain there for very long. Austin said he received some hints that he might be deployed as the summer approached at the end of last semester, but he was still surprised when his name was called up.

“It’s going to be a surprise no matter when it happens,” he said.

Austin said he has been spending the past two months tying up loose ends with the University and his fraternity. He assured that he’s “good to go.”

The senior leaves campus Monday to stay at the National Guard’s base in D.C., but will only be there for a couple of days before transferring to New Jersey for basic training. His service in Iraq begins two days before Christmas, and he is slated to return to the United States at roughly the same time in 2006.

Austin said he is a trained truck driver with the D.C. National Guard, but he does not know what exactly his responsibilities will be in Iraq.

“I can be transferring anything from people, cargo, soldiers, Military Police units. I could be bringing soldiers to a house they have to raid, or I could be carrying food or bring toys to Iraqi kids,” he said.

As a truck driver, Austin said he also faces the responsibility of watching out for hazards on the road and being aware of exit strategies in case of roadside bombs.

“I really don’t know what to expect because it’s a completely different world over there,” he explained. “Here the most dangerous thing is crossing the street. There you have to be constantly aware of your surroundings.” Most of Austin’s preparation for Iraq will occur in New Jersey.

Even though Austin does not know what he will be dealing with in Iraq, he has goals for himself.

“Other than doing my job and coming back, I hope I come back never having killed anyone,” he said. “We’re not there to hurt people, we’re there to rebuild, eventually so we can leave and they can be happy.”

GW student Todd Bowers knows plenty about leaving college to help Iraq rebuild. In between working on his degree at GW, Bowers has served two tours of duty in Iraq with the U.S. Marine Corps – one from January to September 2003 and another from August 2004 to March 2005. Bowers said he only had a few days to prepare for his deployment in January 2003, which is two months before combat began in Iraq.

“All you wanted to do (while you were there) was hang out with your friends,” he said, adding that his experience in Iraq, however, was positive. He said it was “surreal at times, something like a Vietnam War movie,” but said he felt compelled enough to volunteer for a second tour.

“You miss it,” he explained. “Life just doesn’t seem as exciting.”

Bowers said that his experience is not unique. Many of the guardsmen that Austin will be traveling with also volunteered to be sent for a second deployment.

Bowers has been on the news recently because he saved his own life from incoming sniper fire during his second tour with a self-purchased rifle scope he brought with him. If his dad had not purchased the rifle for his son before he left, the sniper’s bullet would have shattered his face and probably killed him.

Austin said he knows about the stories of the perceived lack of supplies given by the military, but has heard they have gotten better. He also said that his friends are planning to donate and raise money to buy any supplies that he needs. He said his friends have been very supportive of him since he found out he would be leaving.

“It makes it easier to deal with, when you know there’s someone here rooting for you,” he said.

Bowers, who is currently living in Foggy Bottom and enrolled in classes at GW, added, however, that he has been publicizing his experience for more reasons than just the lack of equipment. He also wishes to explain to others his perspective of what is happening in Iraq and why he thinks that now is not the time to pull out the troops. He said he has not ruled out the option of a third tour of duty.

“The majority of veterans think we should stay the course. It’s not just for national security, but for the Iraqi people,” Austin agreed, adding, “if we up and left now, we’d be in terrible shape.”

After Austin serves his tour in Iraq, he will return to the United States for re-immersion classes. He plans to complete his degree, but will not be able to return to school until fall 2007.

“Me and the sophomores, class of 2008 – on the Ellipse,” he said, laughing.

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