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Twenty-ninth Job of Bob - College Student Part VIII - On to UW-Whitewater; Bob's private dorm "Keith Hall"
This entry was posted on 6/8/2011 1:30 AM and is filed under Jobs of Bob.
I had plucked away at Madison Area Technical College for five years while working. That time also included a hiatus to care for my mother at the end of her life. I came away from the experience with diplomas in the Fire Service Academy; Business Software; EMT-Basic;, and, EMT-Intermediate. Also woven in the mix was a certification to teach Life Guard Training. The most important recognition was two associate's degrees, one in Liberal Studies, and another in Administrative Assistant. The Liberal Studies degree would open a ton of doors at the University of Wisconsin - Whitewater. I was not even sure I wanted to go on to work on a Bachelor's Degree. While at MATC I mulled over a couple of college options like UW-Madison or UW Milwaukee; or, even private colleges like Beloit or Edgewood. But, UW-Whitewater was a third of the price of the aforementioned. I found that my College Transfer Liberal Studies Associate's Degree expedited my transition into a four-year degree school. Those that entered UW-Whitewater with no other college or no two-year degree had to jump through way more hoops. I grew up just west of Whitewater of course. The campus had changed a great deal since I lived there. But every time I came around a corner, there was something that reminded me of my youth. Mom worked part time on campus for a few years. Our junior high school had used the college athletic field in the center of campus at one time. Both junior high and athletic field were gone, but little reminders of both still lingered. An empty lot sat where the junior high once stood. Once in a great while, the old street by the vacant lot was a convenient place to park for a class I took. The athletic field was now an open green space where students tossed Fribees and footballs around in. One big factor weighed heavy on my choice of Whitewater. After Mom passed away, we ended up with her house in Janesville. It would need to be regularly checked on until we decided what to do with it. I would be driving right by it on the way to Whitewater. My classes at Whitewater would take up four to five days a week. I would work it out so I could stay overnight at least two of those days at Mom's house. It worked out nice, especially if I had a night class and then an early morning class back to back. I did not think of it at the time, but it was like having a private dorm to myself....and Sam the cat. As an older working student, I had become accustom to taking night and summer school classes at MATC. Sometimes, those non-traditional class times seemed easier. Maybe it was just the evening timbre during the regular semesters that made things seem easier, with all the campus activities like theater and student group events. And in the summer, the shortened semester with its laid back campus atmosphere seemed to make the class load less stressful. And too, those odd hours seemed to attract students closer to my own age; and, by the time I started attending college at Whitewater, I was in my mid-forties and even much older than what the school tagged as...."older adult students." So, one beautiful summer morning in 2001, from our lonely farmette in the middle of rural Green County, I made my first 130 mile round trip commute to UW-Whitewater. Note: This blog "Jobs of Bob" Category does not list the jobs chronologically - I write about the experiences as they pop up in my memory and I often revisit an older job. Go to the Cooldadiomedia Web site and the Jobs of Bob Page for an ordered chronology.
Wisconsin Military Service Person Special Mention of the Week
(each week Cooldadiomedia mentions a Wisconsin service person killed in Iraq or Afghanistan)
Army Sergeant First Class David James Hartman, 27, of Merced, California (his mother lives in Pardeeville, Wisconsin) died on Wednesday, February 3, 2010, in Timagara, Pakistan. His convoy was attacked by insurgents using an improvised explosive device. Hartman was assigned to Team 622 in Company B, 96th Civil Affairs Battalion (Airborne), 95th Civil Affairs Brigade (Airborne), out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He was one of three soldiers killed in the explosion which occurred in Timagara, Lower Dir district, North West Frontier province, Pakistan. They were traveling to attend a ceremony at a girls' school that had been renovated with U.S. assistance.
The Los Angeles Times quoted Hartman's mother Trea Bacon as explaining Sergeant Hartman had been originally trained in combat designations but retooled to civil affairs work. David was born in Merced, California in 1982 and lived with his father in Lathrop in the Modesto area until he was 12. He later lived with his mother and his stepfather who was serving in the Army and was stationed in Japan. Hartman enlisted at 17 years old after graduating from high school from Kadena High School in 2000 which he attended on a U.S. Air Force base in Okinawa. He had been a member of the ROTC program. David had been married to wife Cherise about four years and was an old high school friend. They had one son Michael, one year old, and before his deployment his wife became pregnant with their second child.
The Lake County News of California noted Kelseyville and the Clear Lake Riviera as a point of reference for Hartman's father Greg Hartman and stepmother Kate. The County News sited The United Kingdom's Telegraph newspaper as reporting that the three American deaths were believed to be the first US military deaths to occur in Pakistan. Sergeant First Class Hartman had been deployed to Afghanistan previously in 2002, and also to Iraq in 2004. Previous positions held by Hartman were as a Platoon Sergeant with Company C, Special Troops Battalion, 3rd Battalion, 1st Infantry Division; and, several positions with the 50th Signal Battalion, XVIII Airborne Corps including electronic maintenance shop foreman, forced entry switch section team chief and sergeant, senior electronic maintenance technician, and senior switch technician. Some of his military awards include the Joint Service Commendation Medal; Army Commendation Medal; Army Achievement Medal; Good Conduct Medal; National Defense Service Medal; Iraq Campaign Medal; Global War on Terror Expeditionary and Service medals; NCO Professional Development Ribbon; Overseas Service Medal; the Bronze Star; and, the Purple Heart.
Wisconsin television station WMTV 15 via their Website nbc15.com discusses Hartman's connections with Pardeeville, Wisconsin. David would often visit his mother Mikail "Trea" Bacon who lives there. The community put forward commemorations and the installation of a memorial in Hartman's honor.
The Website afghanistan.pigstye.net via information from The Press Democrat noted Hartman's father was a pastor as well as a contractor in California. The site quoted information from the New York Times that Hartman was among at least 60 to 100 members of a team that trains Pakistan’s paramilitary Frontier Corps in counter-insurgency techniques. The Times corroborates that the soldiers were on their way to attend a ceremony at a girls school that had been renovated with U.S. humanitarian assistance. Reports also have the soldiers wearing civilian cloths. The site mentioned Hartman's younger brother followed in his footsteps completing boot camp the day before Hartman’s death.
The Portage Daily Register and wiscnews.com out of Wisconsin noted the incident involved a suicide bomber ramming a car into Hartman's vehicle. Per information via the Associated Press, the description of the attack raising questions of whether the attacker had inside information. How the bomber knew the soldiers would be passing through Lower Dir and which vehicle to attack has raised concerns. Sergeant First Class Hartman was part of a little-publicized mission to train local Pakistani forces in the volatile northwest near the Afghan border. Along with Hartman and the two other soldiers, the explosion killed three girls at a nearby school and a Pakistani paramilitary soldier traveling with the Americans. Two more U.S. soldiers were wounded, along with approximately 100 other people, many from the school. The Daily Register went on to note Hartman's military schooling as including the Civil Affairs Qualification Course; Basic Non-Commissioned Officers Course; Basic Airborne Course; Joint Network Node Operators Course; Unit Movement NCO Course; Equal Opportunity Leaders Course; Gryphon Group's Mobile Force Protection Course; and, Explosive Hazard Awareness Trainer's Course.
At the time of his death David Hartman was survived by his wife Cherise Sabio Hartman; son Michael; and another child on the way; his mother Mikail "Trea" Bacon; father Greg Hartman and stepmother Kate Hartman; three sisters; both paternal grandparents; and a younger brother. Sergeant First Class David Hartman was laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. He was the the 18th Wisconsin military service person killed in the Afghanistan war since October of 2001.
As of this blog entry's posting date:
101,106 Iraqi civilians have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
10,009 Iraqi Security Forces have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
4,457 Americans have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
1604 Americans have been killed in Afghanistan since October, 2001.
318 Coalition soldiers have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
897 Coalition soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan since October, 2001.
1 American/Coalition casualty in Libyan "Operation Odyssey Dawn" since March, 2011
32,102 U.S. troops have been wounded in action in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
11,722 U.S. troops have been wounded in action in Afghanistan since October, 2001.
107 Wisconsin soldiers have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
31 Wisconsin soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan since October, 2001.
3 Wisconsin soldiers have been killed in the U.S. related to "The War on Terror" since October, 2001.
148 journalists (several nationalities) have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
21 journalists (various nationalities) have been killed in Afghanistan since October, 2001.
5 journalists (regional and independents) have been killed in Libya since March, 2011.
Wisconsin military service person special mention of the week, military casualty, and journalist casualty information sources: Committee to Protect Journalists; cnn.com; Milwaukee Journal Sentinel; washingtonpost.com; thehighground.org; Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs; iraqbodycount.org; www.defense.gov/news/casualty.pdf; and, icasualties.org.
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