2008 Woodie Awards
Soldier trades bullets for books
Ryan Pierce
Issue date: 4/17/08 Section: Iowa City
IOWA CITY-With finals right around the corner some students will begin to focus more on grades or summer plans. However, Kirkwood Community College student Andrew Duffy will not be one of them, as the Iraq War veteran said he has more important things to worry about.
"I went to school before I deployed and I have been back since," said Duffy, Liberal Arts major. "School is much different now. I find myself feeling alienated from the college culture."
Duffy joined the National Guard just two days after his 17th birthday and was soon deployed to Iraq in October of 2005. Working at a medical trauma unit in the infamous Iraqi prison Abu Graib, Duffy was exposed to situations not experienced by the average college student.
"The deployment let me look at views from many perspectives, from the soldier, the insurgent and the civilian since I treated them all," explained Duffy.
"I also realized the vast difference in experience one person could have over another in Iraq," said Duffy. "If you were to just sit on one of the mega bases over there, eat Burger King and read Stars and Stripes news, you might think it isn't so bad. On the other hand if people are actually trying to kill you and you don't have all the amenities it is a totally different experience."
Duffy knows about the dangers involved once deployed. While in Iraq Duffy said he was wounded by an incoming mortar that sent shrapnel into his back.
"We were outside waiting for the Iraqi Ministry of Justice to come so we could hand the prison over to them," explained Duffy. "By that time we had cleared all detainees and prisoners from the prison and tried to create a 'leave it how we found it' environment for them. We were outside waiting for the Iraqis to show up and a 120mm mortar round came into our area and landed 30-50 meters from me. I ended up with grazing wounds across my back. The mortar coincided with almost the exact time the Iraqis were suppose to show up, which they never did."
"I went to school before I deployed and I have been back since," said Duffy, Liberal Arts major. "School is much different now. I find myself feeling alienated from the college culture."
Duffy joined the National Guard just two days after his 17th birthday and was soon deployed to Iraq in October of 2005. Working at a medical trauma unit in the infamous Iraqi prison Abu Graib, Duffy was exposed to situations not experienced by the average college student.
"The deployment let me look at views from many perspectives, from the soldier, the insurgent and the civilian since I treated them all," explained Duffy.
"I also realized the vast difference in experience one person could have over another in Iraq," said Duffy. "If you were to just sit on one of the mega bases over there, eat Burger King and read Stars and Stripes news, you might think it isn't so bad. On the other hand if people are actually trying to kill you and you don't have all the amenities it is a totally different experience."
Duffy knows about the dangers involved once deployed. While in Iraq Duffy said he was wounded by an incoming mortar that sent shrapnel into his back.
"We were outside waiting for the Iraqi Ministry of Justice to come so we could hand the prison over to them," explained Duffy. "By that time we had cleared all detainees and prisoners from the prison and tried to create a 'leave it how we found it' environment for them. We were outside waiting for the Iraqis to show up and a 120mm mortar round came into our area and landed 30-50 meters from me. I ended up with grazing wounds across my back. The mortar coincided with almost the exact time the Iraqis were suppose to show up, which they never did."
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