A Healthy Dose of Preparation
The College may be nestled snugly
within
Charleston’s idyllic backdrop and safely contained by the protective walls of academia, but – as advocates of higher education – we all know the value of our civil liberties and our constitutional freedoms. And, while many of us are willing to exercise and defend our unalienable rights on the battlefield of the Open Discussion Listserv, it’s the 50+ military veterans among us who’ve earned our appreciation and respect.
This Veterans Day, The Portico honors all the men and women who have given up their freedoms to serve this country – and especially salutes those who traded in their fatigues for Maroon and White. Here are the voices of but a few of the College’s very own heroes.
Q: What kinds of things did you come to realize about yourself and your life back home when you entered
the military?
A: “I learned pretty quickly how good I’d had it before – and I realized that I’d idealized what living on a submarine would be like. When you’re submerged for 78–80 days without seeing the light of day, and without eating a real meal or seeing your family, you just realize how much easier it is here. You swear you’ll never take anything for
granted again."
–U.S. Navy Radioman First Class Chris Nelson served 1979–1996
as a submarine radioman in Charleston and London.
He’s now a library technical assistant in the Addlestone
Library’s interlibrary loan department.
Q: How would you describe life in the military?
A: “Military life is a hard life. You have to give up a lot of freedoms. You give up the freedom of speech, the freedom of movement and the freedom of assembly. And you don’t make much money – I think at one time I figured it up that I made 25 cents an hour, considering that I was working 24 hours a day. Conditions are hard.
“Still, it was good. It was the during the Cold War, so it was a little bit exciting, and I was defending the East German border just prior to the fall of the Berlin Wall, so that was a cool piece of history to be a part of. It also paid my student loans, paid for my M.B.A. and funded my Ph.D. – and I met my husband [Jim Mueller, associate professor of marketing and supply chain management] there."
–U.S. Army Sergeant Rene Mueller served 1984–1988 as a German linguist in the Military Intelligence Corps at Wildflecken, Germany. At the College, she is a professor of marketing and director of the
International Business and Global Scholars Program.
Q: What skills did you acquire in the military that you still apply in your day-to-day work at the College?
A: “Adjust and adapt. You never know what to expect, but you know that – no matter what comes your way – you’re going to have to deal with it. You can’t let it get in your way. You just have to trudge forward and move on.”
– U.S. Air Force Staff Sergeant Cantrece White served 1990–2002 in personnel administration in Charleston; San Antonio, Texas; and Gunsan, Korea. She’s now the coordinator of administrative services for
the Tate Center for Entrepreneurship.
Q: What do you think is the most important thing for people to remember on Veterans Day?
A: “Appreciate the price paid for our freedom throughout our nation’s history, and be grateful to those serving in our military around the world today. Also, we must always remember the families and friends of those who have given their lives in service to our country. Whenever we see someone in uniform, as we pass them, we should say, ‘Thank you!’”
– U.S. Marine Corps First Lieutenant Tom Casey served 1968–1971
as an office administrator in personnel, maintenance and
procurement in San Diego, Calif.; Camp Pendleton, Calif.; Quantico, Va.;
Jacksonville,
N.C.; and Okinawa, Japan.
He serves as the College’s director of human resources. 