When Sgt. Geoffrey Melvin described searching for explosives in Iraqi palm tree groves, I felt as if I was beside him. During our conversation in the UMC, the environmental studies major brought to life his combat experiences while nearby students chatted absentmindedly on their cell phones and did their homework. Through his words I caught a glimpse of what it’s like to fight a war, return home and realize life goes on, even as your mind suffers what writer Barbara Kingsolver has called “a jet lag of consciousness.”
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