My mom had died in March of 2001. Heide and I had cared for Mom beyond normal family activity for a couple years prior to the end of her life. And, the last year of Mom's life I moved in to her house to help care for her along with the daily ritual of Hospice caregivers. I had taken only a few classes in the fall of 2000 and then only two classes in the spring of 2001 during our more intense help for Mom. The scaled back class schedule still gave me enough credits to get my last degree from MATC and move on to UW-Whitewater.
Heide and I were so tired from the ordeal with my mother, after her death, and before any new ventures, we packed up and went to New Orleans for three weeks. I had never been before, although Heide had. We chose "The Big Easy" because of its reputation for being so laid back. Also, it was not as expensive as some people thought it was - and Heide had a friend of a friend that owned an inexpensive bed and breakfast out of the spot light. So, we hopped in the Geo Metro with Susie the kitty and headed south. It was an excellent choice to pull ourselves back together.
With a fresh start in life, summer school at UW-Whitewater went well. It was a beautiful summer. I entered as a Junior and after a heavy class load that summer. I was on a roll; this leg of college seemed smoother and easier than tech school. But I was a bit more focused now. My major would be Criminal Justice, the Whitewater version of what we all know and love as "pre-law."
My heart sank on that morning of September 11, 2001. Our world stood still, the future was abruptly now unknown. I wrote about the bizarre nature of
that strange day of 9/11 in a recent posting. The JFK assassination, the fall of Saigon, the Challenger disaster, to name just a few shockers in my lifetime, were all weird days in their own right. And now here was the disaster day of all days.
I made my way to campus later in the morning from Janesville as that day my classes started around noon. There was already talk of closing the campus by the time I got to my first class - a study of Supreme Court cases. The next class was Sociological Theory. I liked the professor, but he was the kind of guy that was the only one in class that laughed at his own jokes. He had written a couple of text books and was quite pleased with himself in general. Also, he liked to keep the class every day for a few extra minutes to hear himself talk more. This was unheard of at the University level - this was "not" junior high.
Word came over an intercom system that the classes were called off, students were to go home, and the campus would be closed until the powers that be, figured out if we were in World War III or not. Poor Ol' "Professor Joker" seemed befuddled that an evolving invasion and attack was stealing his limelight.
"Professor Joker" paused in his lecture and said, "Oh phooey, perhaps we could stay and finish anyway."
The few students who had bothered to show up at all, were already at the door and left the prof standing at his lectern and pudium talking to himself.
As the saga of 9/11, the war in Afghanistan, and then the war in Iraq panned out, we went from a campus of fantom Veterans to a culture of Veteran students. My Vietnam generation of student veterans were few and far between, any others kept their status to themselves. I remember asking a counselor at MATC if there was a student Veterans' group. He looked at me like I was a madman.
"No group here now; or, any that I remember for that matter,"said counselor dude.
By the time I left UW-Whitewater in graduate school, military veterans on campus were ubiquitous. Many were still in the military in some capacity as a National Guard member or a Reservist. An old savvy history professor named Doctor Haney who had also taught during Vietnam, knew just what to do for his Veteran students. He knew the dusty rules not used since the Vietnam War. Those rules allowed for Reservist students called away from school to duty in mid-semester to be graded on what they had accomplished - as if they finished the semester.
Doctor Haney is retired now I believe. He was also a dandy historian at large. And in his years at the University, he researched quite a bit of Whitewater history as well.
I hope I am qualified to say, "Thanks Doc, on behalf of Veteran students."
Here's to you, Professor Haney.
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)
Lieutenant Colonel Paul Robert Bartz, 43, of Waterloo, Wisconsin, was killed in Kabul, Afghanistan on Tuesday, May 18, 2010. Bartz died from wounds he received when his convoy was attacked by a suicide car bomber using an improvised explosive device. Lieutenant Colonel Bartz was assigned to Headquarters, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), out of Fort Drum, New York. He was one of five U.S. soldiers killed along with a Canadian soldier in the incident. The convoy was traveling on Darulaman Road in Kabul.
An article attributed to the Watertown Daily Times in Wisconsin (not to be confused with Watertown, New York, home of Fort Drum), that is posted on Facebook notes Bartz was part of an advanced team from the 10th Mountain Division headquarters conducting key leader training and help prepare for the 10th Mountain Division headquarters' deployment to Afghanistan later that year. Paul Bartz attended St. John's Lutheran grade school in Waterloo when he was a kid. Bartz went on to graduate from Waterloo High School in 1985. He then went on to college and received a bachelor of science degree from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh in 1989. During college he joined the Army ROTC. Bartz had an assignment in the Pentagon during the 9/11 attacks but was out of the office that day.
Some of Lieutenant Colonel Bartz' military awards include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal; Meritorious Service Medal; Army Commendation Medal; Joint Service Achievement Medal; and, the Army Achievement Medal.
The Website channel3000.com notes there was 18 people that died in the incident that killed Lieutenant Colonel Bartz. Locals in his hometown of Waterloo remembered Paul as an intelligent kid with "great work habits, and good with people," and potential to, "be successful, lead, inspire, and succeed." Bartz had played linebacker on the Waterloo High School 1983 conference championship football team.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel notes Bartz' father was inspirational in his son's going to college and entering the military. Paul Bartz was promoted up the ranks during his military career, worked with NATO troops, working at the Pentagon, and had even met the President of the United States. Bartz had returned to give presentations to students in classes at Waterloo High School.
At the time of his death Paul Bartz was survived by his parents Robert and Darlene Bartz; his wife and son; sisters Beth and Debbie; and, brother James Bartz. Lieutenant Colonel Paul Bartz was the 19th Wisconsin military service person to be killed in Afghanistan since October of 2001.
As of this blog entry's posting date:
101,366 Iraqi civilians have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
10,028 Iraqi Security Forces have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
4,463 Americans have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
1615 Americans have been killed in Afghanistan since October, 2001.
318 Coalition soldiers have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
904 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.
11,864 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.
