AFTER PICKING HER UP FROM SCHOOL, TaniaDavis, Shores residence life coordinato r,spends time with her daughter, Faith, outide theirhome Sept 15.Davis, who was one oftwo RLCs pursuing adegree this fall, saidshewanted toteach her daughter by example that it is never too late to accomplish goals. ·A. BEENE BETWEEN CLASSES, SENIORS JOE AND ABBY LETNER entertain their daughter, Kali, Sept 10.One of on lyafewundergraduate couples withachild, the Letners organized their schedules around their daughter. "We wouldn't do anyth ing if one of us wasn't with her;' Abby Letner said.·(, ROBERSON reveals the litHe things in life I1i Groves was not an ordinary freshman. lA the age of 22, Robert In fact, he really should not have been a freshman talL After serving a year and a half as a military reservist in Iraq, Groves returned to school in the fall of 2004 to complete his freshman year. In 2000, when Groves was 17, he joined the Army Reserves after graduating from high schooL Planning for a career as a federal law enforcement agent, Groves said he entered the military because he thought the experience would look good on his future resume and help pay for college. "It fit well into my career plan," Groves said. "At that time [the reserves] was only one weekend a month, and I figured it would mean free school." After completing basic training in the fall of 200t Groves moved on to advanced training in spring 2002 and enrolled at Harding that fall, two years older than most of his classmates. Groves fiRished his first semester with no major incidents, but his expectations of only serving in the reserves once a month changed when he was called to duty in 2002. Sophomore Taylor Cook, a friend of Groves since they met at Summer Experience three years ago, said she was upset when she found out he had to leave. "J wasreallyscared," shesaid. "[While he was in Iraq] J kept in touch and watched the news and talked to his mom to make sure he was OK." With only three days to prepare for Iraq, Groves said the realization of where he was going did not hit him until a few days after he arrived. "It started to sink in where I was when J stepped out of my hut, looked around at all the dirt and thought, 'Man, I am in the middle of nowhere,'" Groves said. While in Iraq, Groves said he lived in a palace formerly owned by Saddam Hussein. Groves also used his specialist training to help rebuild hospitals, schools, and police and fire academies for the Iraqi people. "We got contracted to have a well dug for a village that didn't have clean water for 30 years," Groves said. "[The villagers] watched it get dug, the pipes put in, and the mud get pumped out for about an hour. Then the fresh water came out ... and that's when everyone went crazy." Groves said his faith was both challenged and strengthened in Iraq. "It was a challenge because I was away from church," he said. "I read my Bible a lot. I remember reading a lot of Psalms, and I could relate when David wrote, 'In a dry and weary land my soul thirsts for you.'" After being away for three semesters, Groves finished his time in Iraq and returned to school this fall to finish his education. He said it was good to be home. "Ifs great," he said. "Being in Iraq has changed my perspective on a lot of things. I'm learning to treasure the little things more." -MEGHAN MICHAELSON 39 - NON-TRADITIONAL STUDENTS
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