The heart of a soldier
Young war veterans return to NDSU to resume civilian life
They may sit next to you in class, pass you on the sidewalk or work alongside you in a study group.
They seem like everyday students, but at least 100 student-soldiers at NDSU have had their lives interrupted for a year to serve in Iraq.
The following special series is a look at three of those young war veterans who have returned to campus, beginning with Matt Candrian, a senior in business administration.
Matt Candrian found out his life was going to change on Martin Luther King Day 2003, when he received a phone call he’ll never forget from his National Guard unit.
“ The staff sergeant said, ‘Is this Specialist Candrian?’ and I thought, ‘Either I’m in big trouble or something’s going on,’” Candrian said. “The Guard is very laid back, so when I heard that, I knew something was up.”
Candrian had just re-enrolled at NDSU, after spending the fall of his sophomore year at Dickinson State University. He spent the next week dropping his classes, storing belongings and saying goodbyes.
“ It was a ton of uncertainty,” he said. “I was 20 years old and didn’t really know the extent to what was all going on.”
Candrian’s unit, the 142nd of Fargo, traveled to Fort Carson, Colo., for several months of training before making the overseas journey to Iraq.
“ My whole life changed at that point,” Candrian said. “I went from being a civilian to training to go to war.”
Candrian’s company arrived in Kuwait in April, where the soldiers were handed ammunition and told to load up their magazines. From there, they headed to Balad, Iraq, in what would turn out to be a 45-hour convoy.
“We stopped to sleep by the side of the road, because it wasn’t a good idea to travel through the night,” Candrian said. “We pulled our own security around the vehicles, and I tried to sleep in an air compressor trailer. I was freezing cold — I was in the middle of Iraq, and I didn’t bring anything warm to throw on, because I thought it was hot in the desert.”
It was April, though, the end of Iraq’s cool season, during which nighttime temperatures can drop below freezing and it rains often.
“ After that, it was so miserably hot day and night I couldn’t sleep half the time,” Candrian said.
The company spent much of its time at a base near Ramadi, Iraq, where the soldiers built living quarters and other necessities for troops stationed there. From there, the soldiers went back to Balad and built showers, tent floors and more to improve the standard of living for troops at that base.
“ At first, it was really frustrating,” Candrian said. “I was homesick for the first few months. But once I realized I was going to be there for a year, I realized I had a choice: I could either have a good attitude about it and make my days go well, or I could moan and groan about it and be miserable for the next year.”
Candrian said he’s glad he chose the first choice.
“ Looking back on it, it was a good experience,” he said. “I grew up a ton. I turned 21 overseas, and I had a lot of time to think about, ‘OK, here’s where I’m at in life — where do I want to be and what can I do to get there?’”
Previously a self-described “poor student,” Candrian said his outlook on school has changed.
“ Freshman year, my roommate and I would set the alarm clock for 1:50 (p.m.) so we could get to the RDC in time to eat lunch,” he said. “After spending a year in the desert, it’s like, ‘You know what? It’s not that hard to get out of bed and go sit through an hour, two-hour class.”
This semester, Candrian, a business major, is taking 22 credits and working part time, as well as going to weekend drills with the Guard.
“ Everything is a lot easier now — I just manage my time a lot better,” he said.
He spent last summer interning with the National Homeland Defense Foundation in Colorado Springs, Colo., a nonprofit organization that supports military families adversely affected by the war.
“ It was very rewarding,” he said. “I want to go back there when I graduate.”
Candrian’s time in the desert has changed his outlook in other areas as well.
“ I didn’t have a clue what poverty was,” he said. “I grew up on a dairy farm in a doublewide trailer and thought I had it really bad. But then I got over there and saw true poverty … I don’t think there’s anything close to going to war that can change the way you think about life in general.
“ I have no regrets whatsoever.”