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THE STUDENTS’ VOICE SINCE 1887
“It changes you personally. One thing the Army taught me is that even when things are bad, you have to keep pushing and keep going and give it everything you have. That’s the most
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beneficial thing that has helped me in life.” - Gregg Taylor, U.S. Army Veteran and junior history major
One nation,
one veteran’s story
Lexi Kerzman
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From rural Iowa to the mountains of Afghanistan to USD, Gregg Taylor took his self-proclaimed life of “mediocrity” and decided to start over. His new beginning: a combat engineer in the United States Army. At age 18, despite his father’s hesitation, Taylor became a fourth-generation enlisted Army soldier. He didn’t know if it was the right decision and he questioned his reasoning. Now, at 25, he said he knows it was his way of searching for motivation. “I had been mediocre in my life up to that point; I didn’t try my hardest at everything I should have,” he said. “I needed a fresh start and I knew I was capable of a lot more than what I was giving at that point. I enlisted in the Army … and just went full in and gave it everything I had.” After enlisting, Taylor was deployed to Afghanistan from 2013-17. He was just a small-town kid, he said, and had no idea what to expect overseas. “What I learned about Afghanistan is that it is a complicated country in a lot of ways. There are a lot of really great people there fighting for their country … and we try to help them in certain ways,” Taylor said. “It’s a real struggle and to see that up close was really shocking.”
Engineering a new path
Taylor chose to become a combat engineer because he said he had never heard of it and wanted to do something different. “I don’t really know why (I chose that),” he said with a laugh. “I think they showed me some weird Army video and ... I thought, ‘combat engineer. I’ve never heard of that. Am I going to be building stuff?’” Actually, he didn’t build anything. Instead, he was responsible for mobility, counter-ability and survivability. He and his team swept routes to ensure they were clear of Improvised Explosive Devices (IED), bombs constructed and used in ways that differ from traditional military uses. “We did route clearance, which is basically just making route and making sure it’s safe for other forces to travel on and even civilian people,” Taylor said. “You want to make sure that regular people can travel in their own country from place to place without having to worry about IED or other threats.”
Searching for IEDs and finding friendship
Searching for IEDs thousands of miles from home, Taylor found something else: his best friends. Knowing they are going through the same things, he said, and having constant support builds the biggest bond. He still keeps in contact with his military friends even after being on leave for almost three years. “Everyone experiences it together, so to go through it together is how you get through those situations. You have to be there with your unit and friends and support them and carry each other,” he said. “I never had friends like that up to
Vermillion Police Department’s lone female officer alleged she was mistreated and sexually harassed by other officers of the department in a complaint unsealed on Monday. Vermillion Police Officer Jessica Newman sued VPD Chief Matt Betzen and the city for gender discrimination on Sept. 6. Both parties requested to permanently seal the document, but Judge Larry Piersol unsealed the documents after the Argus Leader filed a motion for its release. Newman and the city reached a settlement on Oct. 6. The settlement won’t be released until thirty days after Piersol’s dismissal. Newman, who joined VPD in 2013, cited instances of discrimination and sexist remarks from officers in the department spanning from her hiring to 2018, according to the lawsuit. She complained that other officers vandalized her belongings, colluded to deny her desirable shifts in the department’s bidding system, made sexist remarks, insisting police work was “a man’s job” and female officers “belonged in the kitchen.” Despite high test scores on written and physical exams, Newman was twice denied promotion for the title of sergeant by Betzen. The second time she applied for a promotion, she learned that her letters of recommendation were not presented to the hiring panel. Newman, who earned her Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from Bellevue University in 2018 and is working on her Master’s degree in Justice Administration and Crime See VPD, Page A3
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Gregg Taylor (left) is a U.S. Army veteran and junior history major at USD. Taylor served in Afghanistan from 2013 to 2017 as a combat engineer. that point so I talk to them all the time.” The downside of a bond that strong, Taylor said, is when someone doesn’t make it home. It’s something the entire unit feels. Though he didn’t lose anyone in his unit, he said he still feels the sadness and sympathizes with those who have. “There are people that don’t come back and it’s tough,” Taylor said. “(For soldiers) to talk about their experiences together … and just to have that camaraderie (is important).” Talking with fellow soldiers or veterans is important, Taylor said, but unfortunately, most of the hard times and battles are fought alone. He focuses on staying active and tries to remain involved so he doesn’t sit trapped with his thoughts, he said. “When you become stagnant and stop doing things is when people start to get a little down. After you go to that point it’s hard to get out of it,” he said. Among many things, Taylor said the Army taught him resilience and motivated him to keep pushing himself. “It changes you personally,” he said. “One thing the Army taught me is that even when things are bad, you have to keep pushing and keep going and give it everything you have. That’s the most beneficial thing that has helped me in life.” Transitioning from combat to civilian life can raise challenges for veterans. According to BBC news, nearly 17% of all combat soldiers suffer Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and the number continues to rise. In 2004, only 6% of veterans suffered from PTSD. Taylor thankfully does not suffer from PTSD but still faced challenges while transitioning back to the real world, he said. “For some people, it can be really
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tough, especially when you get out of the military, because when you’re on a course like that, you are surrounded by your brothers and sisters,” he said. “They are there for you all the time, whether you are fighting with them, laughing with them or whatever, you always have that.” Missing that group of people who understand what they are enduring makes transitioning that much harder for soldiers, Taylor said. “You don’t have that group to fall back on and to talk to, cry with, laugh with and everything else. It’s tough at times,” he said. Taylor said he encourages all veterans who are struggling to seek help. It is hard to battle alone, he said. “I have had friends who have committed suicide because they have gone through that and haven’t reached out,” he said. “There are people out there who are willing to talk to them and to not be alone.”
‘Patriot’s Plaza’ set to honor USD’s Medal of Honor recipients Austin Lammers
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The transition back to education is another challenge. Taylor said he knows a lot of veterans who do not go back to school because of the fear of being “old” students. “Honestly, your professors don’t care. They are going to be there to support them whether you’re 18 or however old you are,” Taylor said. “I encourage them to go. It might be weird at first, but you get used to it and then it’s not a big deal at all.” He was worried about the age gap at first, Taylor said, but quickly realized it is only weird if he made it weird. In fact, he said most people didn’t realize he was older until he started talking about his high school cell phone.
An outdoor monument to honor USD’s veterans of past, present and future could be completed by next fall. The Patriot’s Plaza will be a 6,300 square foot tribute to USD’s three Congressional Medal of Honor Recipients — Captain Arlo L. Olson, Captain Joe Foss and Colonel George “Bud” Day — located in the green space between the Beacom School of Business, the Law School and Al Neuharth Media Center. USD President Sheila Gestring revealed plans for the project at the State of the University address in September, announcing the university is matching half of the $200,000 fundraising goal. The USD Foundation has already raised $35,000 and is kicking off its official fundraising campaign at the Military Appreciation Football game on Nov. 9. “I asked [USD Foundation President Emeritus Ted Muenster], ‘if the university can match the number of dollars raised, can we get this thing done?’” Gestring said. “He thought, ‘most definitely.” The memorial will consist of three monuments dedicated to the Medal of Honor recipients, additional donor memorials, military insignias on columns, two flagpoles with the
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