FEATURES

Student recounts War Experience in Iraq
Mirand Zepeda | For the Wichitan

He’s young, he’s in his prime and at 22, he’s already got as many stories of war and bloodshed as the oldest veterans. Senior B.A.A.S major Eric Hartman, a returning American soldier from the fields of Iraq, faces his haunting memories every morning.
Hartman’s military occupational specialty was Multiple Launch Rocket Systems Specialist. While in Iraq, he did infantry, military police and civil affairs work. His unit, B 2/131 FA, was faced with the possibility of roadside bombs, booby traps, and surprise attacks at any moment.
“The only time you’re not on guard is when you’re back at the post,” Hartman said. Hartman has seen soldiers killed in combat.
“It hardens you. It’s just seeing that on a day-to-day basis can make you cold,” he said.
It’s the stories of returning soldiers like Hartman that allow the American people to get an in-depth look at war through the eyes of our soldiers.
Hailing from Kentucky, Hartman moved to Wichita Falls five years ago to be close to his family. He joined the Army National Guard after high school and has served for five years. He left for Iraq in April 2003.
“When I got my orders, I was actually excited. I saw it as an adventure,” Hartman said.
It was an adventure that contained fear and anxiety that he embraced bravely. Once, on a regular trip to the fuel farm, a convoy of Humvees was attacked by a band of insurgents with rocket propelled grenades (RPGs). An RPG punctured the vehicle ahead of them, ripping through a layer of protective armor on the truck’s rear quarter. A bullet struck one of the passengers in the vehicle, throwing him forward in his seat. The only thing between him and death was an Army-issued helmet that caused the bullet to ricochet off and only chip the surface.
Not all the soldiers in the convoy were so fortunate. One of Hartman’s fellow soldiers, Sgt. Tracy Reep, was struck by an RPG. It severed two fingers and scarred his face. All the while, a swirl of sand rose up, obscuring their vision and cloaking their enemy.
“I felt real bad because it couldn’t have happened to a better man,” he said.
At first, the smells, the people, and the sights felt strange, Hartman said. There’s nothing to remind you of home, but after a while, the battlefield starts to become home.
“You become acclimated to it because it’s your day-to-day life,” he said.
In the back of his mind, he longed for America, but he soon became accustomed to the bloodstained streets of Baghdad.
Perhaps the most terrifying story was one that involved Saddam Hussein’s son, Odai.
As Hartman was driving through Baghdad, he was confronted by a man, who thanked him and praised God that the Americans had come. Since this kind of greeting was unusual, Hartman asked the man why he was so excited about their arrival.
The man told Hartman that one day, when he and his 12-year-old daughter were walking to the market, a Bentley pulled up beside them. His daughter had been chosen by Odai. As Odai’s bodyguards held the helpless Iraqi father back, he was given $100.
“I was shocked by what he told me. It deeply disturbed me,” Hartman said.
His daughter was kidnapped by the son of his country’s leader. A week later, the Iraqi man’s daughter was dropped off at their home, and the father was given another $100.
“[The father] gave me a hug and kissed me,” Hartman said. “He pretty much bowed down to me and I asked him why. He told me because of all the things Saddam had done to him.”
Hartman’s story is just one of many of the horror in Iraq. The physical and mental scars of war impact each soldier differently.
“Some people come back with postpartum depression. I didn’t experience anything like that,” Hartman said.
When he arrived in the states, he took a trip to Austin and partied on Sixth Street.
“It just felt good to be home,” he said.
However, he admits it took him a couple of months to adjust.
“It’s weird because, when you get back, it’s hard to find regular things exciting,” Hartman said. “In a way it’s good because I’m not scared of anything. It’s hard to match that rush.”
Hartman said that it’s hard when people ask him how it was over there.
“What am I supposed to say? ‘It was good?’” Hartman said. “I was over there for a whole year. It’s like asking you how a year of your life was.”
Hartman is open about certain aspects of his experience, but there are still some things he can’t talk about yet.
“I’ve just kind of erased it. But I can still bring it back and think about it,” Hartman said. “It’s made me desensitized.”
Hartman agrees with the cause he fought for and believes in President Bush.
“I support President Bush for promoting freedom and democracy to an oppressed people,” he said.
Despite living for 11 months in the carnage and chaos of Iraq, getting sent back for a second deployment is always a possibility for Hartman.
“If that were the case, I’d be ready to answer the call,” he said.
“I’m proud to serve my country and experience new cultures. The guard is a great opportunity to get real-world experience and earn a lot of money in the process,” Hartman said.
  The war on terror still rages, and the people of America still cling to the soldiers, the loved ones overseas fighting battles we never see. 
 


Rapper MC Chris offers First CD download FREE
Staff Reporter

Mc Chris is awesome   Mc chris is awesome. I'm going to his show in Denton next Wednesday and I'm super excited.  In case you don’t know, mc chris is a rapper. He also does some voices on Adult Swim, playing Hesh on “Sealab 2021” and MC Pee Pants on “Aqua Teen Hunger Force.” I like him because he raps about stuff I care about, like Star Wars and drinking.  He's also a 5-and-a-half-foot tall, chubby, white geek with a high-pitched voice. But don’t think that stops him from being a serious rapper. His rhymes are more solid than Eazy E’s and the Fresh Prince’s combined.  He's a hardcore geek who didn’t have it easy growing up in Atlanta.    He has three CDs so far. The first one is called “Life's a Bitch and I'm Her Pimp.” You can download the entire album for free at mcchris.com.  It has that song "Fett's Vette" that you may have heard. The hook is, "my backpack's got jets; I'm Boba the Fett." There's also a song called "The Tussin" about drinking too much cough syrup and then having a really cool night with friends.  I think it's based on a true story. Rappers don’t make crap up; all that stuff they sing about really happened to them.  He sounds like a cool guy to hang out with.    His next CD is called “Knowing is Half the Hassle.”  I know it's hard to imagine, but it's even better than his first one. This one song, "White Kids Love Hip-Hop," is about what kinds of stuff white people are into, like Unreal Tournament and not talking in movie theaters. And it's true – a I know I like hip-hop.  Some people might say it's his most self-indulgent album, with songs like "Ten Year Old," about how his voice sounds like a ten-year-old's, "Geek" and the aforementioned "White Kids," but that's what his fans demand. That's why rappers sing about themselves so much: fans want to know more about what they're like as people. "Geek" drops copious references to nerd culture, like playing Risk all night, Dr. Venkman from Ghostbusters, Trapper Keepers and "upping your armor class.” And, like any serious rapper, he has funny skits between the tracks.  Luckily, mc chris keeps making Cds; his latest album, “Eating's Not Cheating,” came out last year. It's his most ambitious album yet, with eleven songs, not including skits and remixes!  It's his most romantic CD, too. Most of the songs are about his relationships with various women, and about how being a big star and touring all the time makes it hard to make a commitment.  For instance, "Tractor Beam" is about a metaphorical tractor beam on his bed that only works on ladies (Of course!).  "Robot Dog" is about a robot dog from Japan that gets more attention from girls than he does and eats all the vowels out of his Alphabits (because those are the marshmallows).  Although his message is universal, mc chris is not for kids. He uses the F-word about a million times.  But that's what rappers do, and he uses it creatively.  He's coming through Texas on his tour next week, so check his website, mcchris.com, for information. You can get his CDs there, too. Remember, like crack, the first one's free!      



'Ticket Lady' hands out Citations by the Dozens
Mirand Zepeda | Staff Reporter

Darlene Hunter, or “the ticket lady,” as she calls herself, weaves through rows of parked cars in her sputtering golf cart, enjoying the bright sun of a chilly winter morning.
She pauses occasionally to whip out her pad and scribble out one of dozens of tickets she writes every weekday. She enjoys her part-time job for the MSU Police Department as ticket-writer, but does not bring smiles to the faces of those she tickets.
“I love it. It’s a lot of fun because I love being outdoors,” Hunter said.
She started her job with the police department in September of last year. Since then, she has written 75 to 100 tickets a day, and fines range from $10 to $50. Simple math tells us the ticket lady brings in serious dough for MSU police.
Hunter said students aren’t the only ones who receive tickets. Three or four tickets a day are written for cars with faculty and staff stickers. Mondays and Wednesdays are her busiest days. Fridays are typically slow because fewer cars are parked on campus.
According to Hunter, police sometimes receive calls when someone is parked in the wrong spot.
“People will call the police station, and then they radio me,” Hunter said.
On morning patrol, she is equipped with a radio, connected to the police station and a battery charger in case anyone needs a boost.
She puts the pedal to the metal when she gets a message, pushing the golf cart to its maximum speed of 15 mph.
Hunter said students are usually very nice, though they may wince when they see the white slips lying on their windshields. She hears various excuses daily and said she sometimes cuts students a break by giving them a warning.
“I’m not a hard-ass,” Hunter said.
Hunter thinks MSU students should consider themselves lucky, because some universities don’t allowed cars on campus, and MSU’s small campus is easy to cross.
“On average it takes eight minutes to get from one end of campus to the other,” Hunter said.
She doesn’t believe there is a parking problem on campus because the lot on the corner of Louis J. Rodriguez and Midwestern Parkway has about 20 to 30 cars parked in it daily. The lot’s capacity is about 300, Hunter said.
The number of tickets Hunter writes would decline if some students simply went to the police department and picked up their parking decals, she said.
“We have a lot of students who have paid $32 for their decal and haven’t picked it up,” Hunter said. “Then I have to give them a ticket for not having one.”
New maps showing designated parking areas for students, residents, faculty and handicap spots are available in the police department, she said.
So, the next time walk to your car and see the white strip on your windshield flapping in the wind, you’ll know the ticket lady paid you a visit.