Architecture student returns to his coursework, goals
Decorated T-shirts provide powerful testimony
In the architecture program, missing even one class period can be a major setback for students.
It’s no surprise, then, that Adam Davidson feels a little behind after spending a year and a half deployed with his National Guard unit in Iraq.
“ Two classes have graduated since I left,” he said. “It’s a readjustment period for me, slowly but surely.”
Davidson, a fourth-year architecture major, returned to NDSU this semester after serving overseas with the 188th of Grand Forks.
The unit arrived in Kuwait in late November of 2004.
“ It was very desolate,” Davidson said. “White sand, no vegetation, a few camels — but not much life.”
Half the soldiers convoyed from Kuwait through Iraq to Kirkuk, where they were stationed, while the other half traveled by airplane. Davidson was part of the ground group.
“ It was nighttime, so we really couldn’t see much,” he said. “As you go through Kuwait, all of the highway lights are gone and there’s very little electricity besides houses you pass.”
The troops spent much of their time in Kirkuk training the Iraqi Army and providing road clearance and security, but they also completed other missions.
“ We did everything from training to raids to knock-and-greets, which are more casual searches,” Davidson said.
Training the Iraqi soldiers presented a major challenge for the American troops: the language barrier consisted of not just one language, but several.
“ Some spoke Arabic, some spoke Kurdish and some spoke Turkish,” Davidson said. “So once I spoke, an interpreter spoke and another interpreter interpreted that … it was kind of difficult.”
Davidson said soldiers found different ways to cope with the stress level overseas.
“ It was a lot different for young families with wives and kids than for me being single,” he said. “I didn’t communicate (with friends and family) as much as some people did. I didn’t want to think about it as much. I wanted to think about what I was doing over there and take it one day at a time. Once that day would come when I would go home, I would start thinking about it.”
The troops lived in containerized housing units, shipping containers that were converted to living quarters complete with air conditioning and heat. They also had access to television, movies, books and sports to keep their minds occupied.
It wasn’t easy for the soldiers to forget they were living in a war zone, though.
“ Mortar attacks happened five, six times a week — sometimes twice a day,” Davidson said. “They trailed off toward the end (of the deployment).”
Davidson calls returning to North Dakota “a very good feeling.”
“ We were the last ones to leave (from the unit), so it felt like it was never going to end,” he said. “Once we got to Alaska, it started hitting us a little bit. From there, it got better and better.”
Back at NDSU, Davidson’s main focus is completing his architecture degree.
“ Right now I’m playing catch-up,” he said. “I feel a little lost in a few categories, so I have to call people and ask for help and advice … I like to be pretty independent and do things on my own, so that’s a little tough at first and takes getting used to.”
Davidson hasn’t decided yet if he will reenlist in the National Guard.
“ My main focus is finishing school,” he said.