If necessary, staff sergeant Troy Caldwell may be called to serve in the United States Military Services in Afghanistan at any given time.

Imagine President Bush leaving to serve on the front line in Afghanistan.

NIU may experience just that, only on a smaller scale. Student Association president Troy Caldwell is an Army reservist and may be called to serve in Afghanistan.

In 1996, Caldwell enlisted in the Reserves. As a reserve, he serves under the 300 AG Brigade Postal Unit, where he is an E5 Staff Sergeant.

The possibility of serving the country has not phased Caldwell.

“If I was called to serve my country, I would do it gladly,” he said. “I think there is such a high level of patriotism within the United States right now, I would be less of an American if I didn’t.”

Caldwell joined the Reserves to gain more experience in the world and to benefit from the Montgomery G.I. Bill, just one of the perks of being an Army reservist, he said.

His postal unit works just the same as any other post office, Caldwell said. They deliver mail to troops and take care of secure and legal documents.

According to the SA Constitution, vice president Jaime Garcia would take over as interim president if Caldwell left.

“It will take away from the whole atmosphere here,” Garcia said of the possibility of Caldwell leaving. “They will be hard shoes to fill.”

Senate speaker Kevin Miller thinks the SA will do just fine, however.

“The SA and the senate will be able to step up,” he said. “There is no evidence that the SA will not be able to do so.”

Once Garcia filled the vacancy of the president, he would appoint his vice president, likely chief of staff Jesse Perez, Garcia said. The rest of the SA executive positions would stay the same, however.

Caldwell and the rest of the executive staff have begun preparations if he is called to duty. Garcia has started a shadowing program in order to learn more about the position of SA president.

“The president and the vice president are two totally different positions,” Caldwell said. “We are just trying to get acclimated to the day-to-day operations of the presidency.”

If Caldwell is called to serve, he hopes that people still will keep him in mind.

“I just hope that the student body keeps me in their prayers, if this happens, and for them to be supportive of vice president Garcia,” he said.