Andy Topetzes, a columnist for The Lantern, has been put on active duty and will be leaving for Camp Pendleton, Calif., on Sunday. Topetzes was also The Lantern Opinion Editor for summer quarter 2002. As a tribute and thanks to his dedication and quality work, we’re reprinting his column on reservists from Feb. 17. We wish him the best of luck, and our prayers are with him.

It could happen at any time, day or night. When you least expect it, your plans and priorities can be drastically changed for a period of just 30 days, or up to two years.

If you’re a national guardsman or reservist in any branch of the military, the call to active duty could come at a moment’s notice. Normally, you have between 48 and 72 hours to tie up any loose ends and say your good-byes before you’re magically whisked away to a number of foreign and domestic destinations.

From the horn of Africa and the villages of Kosovo, to the mountains of Afghanistan and the sands of the Persian Gulf, our military’s “weekend warriors” have left their hometowns behind to prove their worth in dangerous real-world scenarios.

By mid-Febuary, 150,252 reservists were on active duty, providing worldwide support to Operation Enduring Freedom. One of the largest increases to date came when the Pentagon called an additional 38,649 reservists to active duty for a possible conflict with Iraq.

As Americans, we are busy with our daily lives. Thus, a large number of us only pay attention to the realities of being a nation at war when our family members, friends and co-workers in the reserves start shipping out.

I know many of the American public have misconceptions about what reservists do during their drill weekends. Too many of my friends believe I’m sent to an overseas political hot spot for a weekend, involved in top-secret, James Bond operations that are gritty, grave matters of life and death as a Marine Corps reservist.

Holding back torrents of mocking laughter, I normally play along with their misinformation (before setting them straight) by saying something like, “Well, this weekend we hunted for terrorists throughout parts of western Asia. I still can’t decide what’s more difficult — killing 12 al-Qaida guys with an MRE (Meal Ready to Eat) spoon or getting over the jet lag from the flight back from Karachi.”

Yet, those of you who think I sit around, drink beer and play cards all weekend, you’re also sadly mistaken. This isn’t the Air Force, it’s the Marines — we train to fight.

All sarcasm and cheap shots aside, reservists in every branch receive classroom instruction and hands-on practical application for their particular job, along with a hefty dose of medical vaccinations, a spoonful of physical training and a pinch of weapons training, all nicely seasoned with old-fashioned military discipline.

Having served time on active duty, my theory is that being a reservist is as equally challenging as being an active-duty military member, if not tougher. Reservists must juggle many things at once — family life, a civilian career, college education and military obligations.

Despite the high-quality training we receive during our drill weekends, reservists must complete a great deal of military education on our own time not only to keep up with our active duty counterparts, but also to remain combat ready. We participate in online courses and read books required by our commanders, which promote concepts such as duty, courage, integrity and selfless service.

Also, maintaining an acceptable level of physical fitness without supervised physical training is an added challenge to an already busy life. Self-discipline becomes more of a factor when you aren’t forced to work out several times a week, but you know it has to be done.

The life of a reservist is a difficult but important one. Reservists are our community leaders, coming from every walk of life and every possible profession.

The sacrifice and service of reservists from across the country builds stronger communities and makes the world a safer place.

Andy Topetzes is a senior in political science and criminology. Send all comments to [email protected].