I am an Army Reservist. On Tuesday, I heard these words from my first sergeant: “Pack your bags. We got orders. We’re going some place warm.”

In other words, I’m supposed to drop everything, including this job and my studies, and answer my nation’s call to duty. I was told this weekend that “some place warm” means somewhere in the Middle East. My unit leaves Jan. 5.

I’ve done it before; I spent six months in Bosnia from October 2000 to April 2001.

So this will be the last piece of writing you’ll see from me in a while. My orders say I potentially can be gone up to 365 days.

For those who never think of such things, take some time to think about service members like myself who sacrifice so much so you can read this paper and do whatever the heck you want.

If you know someone in your class who is in the military or used to be, thank them. They deserve it, trust me.

I could fill a 20-inch space with all the sacrifices I’m making to go on this deployment. No. 1, I’ll be thousands of miles away from my family and friends. Thinking about that right now makes we want to cry. Jason and Scott, you guys are the best, man.

Second, I’m sacrificing my body, as I will put myself in what possibly could be a hostile and dangerous area. Simply put, if something happened, I would be fighting for the soldiers next to me. That’s what it’s all about.

We don’t fight for the country, God or any of that petrified crap. We would take a bullet if it meant our comrades could live. It’s that simple.

That’s about it. Next time you find yourself realizing how good you have it in this country, remember people like me. We’re in the military to help keep this nation the best in the world, and we’re damn proud about that.

Good luck to you all, and hopefully, I’ll make it back here and you can once again read a story of mine.