IRR Marines put life on hold following recall

[unhappycamper]

Sgt. Randy Sullivan, center, and his fellow IRR Marines line up for chow May 7 at Camp Lejeune


IRR Marines put life on hold following recall
By Trista Talton - Staff writer
Posted : Sunday May 25, 2008 10:03:23 EDT

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. — Cpl. Ronald White thought he was done with war.

After serving two tours in Afghanistan and two in Iraq, he decided to return to civilian life, bidding the Corps farewell more than a year ago.

He got engaged, tried his hand at college and eventually decided to go to bartending school. He was head bartender at a saloon in a coastal North Carolina town near Camp Lejeune’s back gate when he got pulled back to active-duty for another year, one that will mark his fifth deployment to combat.

“I was pretty devastated,” White said of his reaction to the recall order. “It’s like winning the lottery, but the exact opposite. Afghanistan wasn’t so bad. Our first push into Iraq in 2003, it was bad. I’ve lost a lot of very good friends.”

He expressed mixed emotions about returning to the Corps and Iraq shortly after he — and nearly 200 other Marines in the Individual Ready Reserve — reported to Lejeune May 5 on recall orders.


Rest of article at: http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2008/05/marine_IRR_052508w/