For some, it was just another job. For others, it was the experience of a lifetime.

Whatever the case, the war in Iraq thrust three NIU students into a conflict that continues to have an impact on their daily lives.

Back to civilian life

In July 2004, Patrick Weaver, now a freshman business administration major, returned home after a six-month tour of duty as a Marine in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Weaver, discharged as an honorable combat veteran, found that returning home wasn’t easy.

“The first two months were pretty difficult,” Weaver said. “Talking to other vets, I think that I had a pretty normal coming home experience – loss of sleep, not being able to sleep, night sweats, waking up and not knowing where I was at and not knowing were my rifle was at; you keep your rifle with you at all times no matter what, so it kind of becomes another arm. You miss not having it.”

Although these symptoms have subsided, Weaver, a corporal while in the service, said certain tendencies remain.

“The only problem I’m having now is that I’m used to being able to tell people what to do and they have to do it, which definitely isn’t the case now,” he said.

Weaver said his experiences fighting and building in Iraq have changed him as a person as well.

“I think that every day, no matter what, changes you as a person, but it really helps whenever a ‘difficult task’ arises,” Weaver said. “I think to myself, ‘You survived a war.’ Not saying I was GI Joe, but I wasn’t sitting behind a desk every day either, although I got to do some of that too.”

Weaver’s mother, Ellin Lotspeich, said she has seen changes in her son.

“We will never know exactly what he endured overseas in the midst of the war,” Lotspeich said. “Emotionally, it will always be a part of him and I believe that he will build on those experiences to live his life positively. He has grown into a young man we are very proud of.”

Although she supported Weaver in his loyalty to the Marines and his country, Lotspeich fretted over negative news stories on a daily basis.

“As a parent, every news show and newspaper article about the young men being hurt and killed is like a rock in your stomach,” Lotspeich said. “You are so afraid that military car will show up in front of your home after you hear that another military person has been lost. It is at that time that you rely on faith, friends and family for emotional support.”

Weaver said the media has been too negative in its portrayal of the war.

“Yes, everyone wants to be home with their family and friends and being away from them sucks no matter where they’re at, [but] morale over there is fine,” he said.

“Death is never an easy thing to deal with, especially when it is your friends and they were so young, but the bottom line is that … [it] is something that we all deal with and are trained for,” he said.

Getting to know Daddy again

Andrew Fisher, a senior double major in political science international affairs and business administration, agreed with Weaver.

“All the news shows are negative,” Fisher said. “They don’t show the lighter side. I dealt with Iraqi civilians and I would say 80 percent of them want us to be there. [The news] doesn’t show us building up the schools and playgrounds. I wish the news would focus on that more. It is a life experience. I think we are doing a good thing out there and I wish more people would understand that.”

Fisher, who was deployed for 13-and-a-half months in Iraq before being honorably discharged after 11 years of service, returned home to his wife and children on July 1, 2004, after serving throughout Kuwait and southern Iraq, including Abu Ghraib prison.

The effect of the war is evident on Fisher. Since he has returned, he has noted that many of life’s little things have become harder to adjust to, ranging from driving to playing with his children.

“When I first got off the plane in Georgia, it was 80 degrees and I had to put a jacket on,” Fisher said. “I was so used to it being in the 100s. I got a lot of tickets when I came home because I was so used to driving in the middle of the road as fast as I wanted to. Family life was hard because Ryan was born while I was over there. Ryan just recently started coming to me and wanting to play with me.”

Because of their father’s long absence, Fisher’s children took some time to warm up to their dad again.

“When Patricia [age 6] first saw me, she was a little standoffish,” Fisher said. “After 15 to 20 minutes, she realized who I was. Ryan wouldn’t even let me hold him.”

While both of his children eventually warmed up to him, Fisher’s bigger challenge was getting back into NIU.

“Vets coming back to NIU have a really hard time getting their schedules back,” he said. “I had to reapply and go through the whole process.”

Out to sea

Mark Witecki, now a sophomore mechanical engineering major, was a Machinist’s Mate 2nd class in the Navy. Although he returned in December 2001 when his six-year enlistment term ended, Witecki was part of the first wave of U.S. forces in Operation Enduring Freedom after Sep. 11. In all, he spent seven years at sea, four-and-a-half of them in the Persian Gulf.

“We were on our way to Rio de Janeiro when Sept. 11, technically Sept. 10 in the area, happened,” Witecki said. “When we got turned back to the [Persian Gulf,] morale [then] was high. We were proud to be out there.”

Witecki, who was stationed on a carrier off the coast, said the experience felt more like a job than anything else because of his distance from the actual fighting.

“We were 500 miles off shore, so you don’t get to see the explosions, except on video and even then, you just see buildings,” Witecki said. “It was more of a job. When we actually started dropping bombs, it wasn’t any different because we had been running drills every day.”

Although he is attending school now, Witecki is still on call.

“My eight-year contract expires on Feb. 14, so I could still be called back until then,” Witecki said.