Shipping out: A Grinnell sophomore waits for an important call from the Army National Guard

by Carly Schuna

Staff Writer

When Derrick Mitchell ‘05 joined the Army National Guard in his junior year of high school, he didn’t expect that he would one day be called overseas to fight in a war.

Then, around 9:30 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 31, his phone rang. It was the sergeant of his ambulance platoon, telling him to “be ready.”

Mitchell will most likely be called to serve somewhere in Iraq or Kuwait.

“I don’t know where, I don’t know when,” said Mitchell. “I actually joined to help pay for college. I never expected to be called up ... but I knew that it was a possibility.”

Though the call was a surprise, and though he has serious doubts about the need for war against Iraq, Mitchell said that he is not angry or upset.

“I think there are a lot of questions that haven’t been answered, and until we know more information about what’s going on overseas, I don’t think we should fight,” he said. “But ... our job is to protect the country, and that’s what we’re doing. Somebody has to be there.”

Mitchell, whose parents both served in the 1991 Gulf War, said he’s suddenly been paying a lot of attention to world events over the last two weeks.

“I’ve been watching the news every day, reading the paper every day, asking people I know,” he said.

If Mitchell does have to leave, he will be assisting the Army as a combat medic. He is CPR trained and EMT-Basic certified, and he will join other medical personnel on the front lines.

“When the infantry gets in, when they get shot or when they get hurt, we [will] come in and pick them up and give them aid,” said Mitchell. “If there are any casualties, we [will] go out and pick up the casualties.”

Mitchell initially signed up for six years in the Army National Guard. If he is deployed, he will be gone for a minimum of one year and a maximum of two. “I plan to come back to Grinnell and finish up my schooling here once it’s done,” said Mitchell.

That plan pleases Mitchell’s family and friends, who are concerned about the possibility of his leaving. “A lot of them are upset,” said Mitchell. “They didn’t realize to what extent I was [involved] in the Army. I don’t think they ever realized that it was a possibility that one day I might not be here for two years.”

Mitchell added, however, that everyone he knows has been supportive. “They all have told me how much they love me and how much they care for me and how much they hope I come back. I really appreciate everything they’ve done for me thus far.”

“Derrick is quite possibly the greatest person I have ever met ... and I mean that,” said Mark Henry ‘05, a close friend of Mitchell’s and cofounder with Mitchell of the G-Tones, an all-male Grinnell a cappella group.

“He’s touched so many people on this campus without even realizing it,” Henry said. “Grinnell will be missing someone really special until he gets back.”

In addition to G-Tones, Mitchell is involved in Young, Gifted, and Black Gospel Choir, student staff, and middle school mentoring. He said that if he gets called away, what he will miss most are daily freedoms that many take for granted.

“I’ll miss my friends, and I’ll miss freedom, like being able to wake up and know that what I’m doing is what I chose to do. And [I’ll miss the] safety and security of being here, being home away from home.”

Although Mitchell said he is not upset about the possibility of leaving, he did say that he is scared. “It scares me a lot to know that I’m not aware of where I’m going,” he said. “Sometimes I feel as if I’m not fully qualified, or I’m not ready for what I might have to encounter when I’m over there. I really don’t know what to expect. I don’t think any of the training could prepare me for what might happen.”

Mitchell remained optimistic, however. “I just have to trust the people I’ll be working for,” he said.

Mitchell also had some final words for his friends. “I want to tell everybody that I don’t know when I’m going to leave. When I do find out, I will be sure to let everybody know. I don’t want people to write me off as if I’m gone while I’m still here. Let’s just enjoy school. We should all be worried when I get the call, but right now let’s worry about being here at Grinnell together and the experience of college.”

Additional reporting by Michael Andersen