Several Texas A&M students have been called to duty in the U.S. armed forces, and more are expected to be placed on active duty in the wake of last week’s terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C.
A “handful” of Corps of Cadets members belong to the armed forces special and reserve services, said Corps public relations officer Trevor Voelkel, a senior finance major. Some of those student reservists have been called to active duty, Voelkel said.
Junior biomedical sciences major Kevin Nail was placed on active standby last week and spent the weekend at his post at the Port of Houston United States Coast Guard. On Tuesday, Nail received orders to check out of college and report for active duty, his mother, Sandy, said.
“All we know is that he is defending the coast,” Sandy Nail said. “When he enlisted, he told me, ‘Oh mom, a war won’t break out,’ but you just can’t predict when troops will be needed.”
Sandy Nail believes her son was the first to withdraw from classes on Tuesday. She said he was sent to the registrar’s office, and then to the dean of his college, and back and forth again before he was able to withdraw and receive promise of a partial refund.
“It was like they hadn’t had to deal with someone being called to duty before,” Sandy Nail said.
“Being called has really put a kink in his plans, but we hope he can go back at mid-semester.”
Mark Weichold, associate provost for undergraduate programs, sent an email to faculty members telling them where to direct students called to duty. Students should withdraw through their department’s dean’s office, Weichold said, opting for either a “no-record drop” with a refund of tuition or opting to receive incompletes in each of their classes, allowing students to finish coursework the next semester they return to campus.
Both options allow for a certain amount of the optional fees such as residence hall rent, meal plans and football tickets to be returned to the student, depending on how long they attended classes or used their options during the semester, Weichold said.
“This call-up has already affected our campus with a number of our students having received their order to report for active duty,” said a memorandum emailed by Director of Administrative Services Nancy Sawtelle. “This call-up will likely affect students at all ranks … undergraduate, graduate and professional.”
Students called to active duty should initiate the withdrawal process as soon as they are aware of the change in their status, Weichold said. To his knowledge, three students have been called to duty and have completed the withdrawal process in the past week.
“We hope that students would want to come back and complete their studies,” Weichold said. “As soon as they can come back, they are welcome.”
Sandy Nail said A&M was her son’s first love. Though he accepted admittance at another college his freshman year to play baseball, Nail said her son was “finally here [at A&M], and now he’s got to leave.”
Kevin Nail enlisted in the Coast Guard this summer at a New Jersy basic training camp. His mother said no one expected he would be called so soon.
“There’s no telling how many kids from A&M will be shuffled somewhere,” Sandy Nail said. “[Students] need to be aware of what’s happening, that it’s happening here on campus and that it’s this close to home.”