Issue date: 10/24/07 Section: News

Media Credit: State Hornet Staff [Click to enlarge]

Coming off tours in Afghanistan and Iraq where bullets periodically flew past his head, former soldier Tom Kroom found himself refusing to go places and waking up suddenly to faint noises.

Now in his second semester at Sacramento State, Kroom is technically considered a freshman, although he said his maturity is "advanced" thanks to his time in the army.

"(The army) allowed me to grow up quicker," Kroom said. "The structure, that brotherhood, that purpose...it molded me as a person."

Kroom, a business major, said he struggles with midterms like any other student. However, he said he has gone through drastic transitions and endured unthinkable pressures that many of his peers haven't experienced.

In the army, all soldiers are given the priorities of completing their mission and keeping their fellow soldiers safe, Kroom said.

"I saw things that a lot of people didn't see...crazy stuff," Kroom said, not wishing to go into further detail.

Kroom said his priorities have changed since returning home.

With the military in his past, he is no longer concentrating on missions, but on exams instead.

School occupies much of Kroom's time these days.

Aside from having a job, he said he also has to balance 13 units this semester and a finance midterm he isn't prepared for.

Kroom said he hasn't completely adapted to the structure of college life. He said the fact that classes can be scheduled at irregular times and take place only twice a week is odd for him.

In the army, Kroom said his schedule was a lot more rigid and organized.

"People yell at you...you do what you're told, it's pretty easy when you think about it," Kroom said.

While working during his deployment, Kroom described his average day as waking up at 5 a.m., going to physical training for more than an hour, and then going to his job with Military Intelligence for an undetermined amount of time.

If people were late or unprepared, Kroom said their work performance could be affected. Depending on the severity of the situation, a soldier's incompetence could even lead to casualties,he said.

"There's no structure, compared to all structure," Kroom said, comparing college to the army. "(The other day) I woke up and thought...I can sleep another hour. (If you're late to class), nothing happens."

Despite the lack of consequences, Kroom said he is never late to class and is only absent if he's actually sick. He credits the army for teaching him that discipline.

That same discipline is something Kroom searched for when he first came to Sac State.

He said he found it when he joined the Sigma Chi fraternity.

Kroom said it was with Sigma Chi that he was reunited with the themes of "structure" and "brotherhood" he had left behind in the army.

"It's nice knowing there's someone always there for you, even if you don't like them," Kroom said while sporting his blue and yellow Sigma Chi t-shirt like an army uniform.

"(In the army) they're my soldiers...here, they're my brothers."

Kroom said he knows Sigma Chi won't be an exact replica of the 82nd Airborne Division, which he was once a part of, but said the structure is still there even if it's not as strict.

Instead of sleeping in a tent on a 10-by-3 foot cot with 25 other guys, Kroom now lives in a house with his Sigma Chi "big brother" Tim Rich.

Kroom credits Rich for helping him through his transition.

"He's really given me a lot of guidance and he's always there in case I needed to talk," Kroom said. "He makes me feel more comfortable."

Kroom's former boss, Platoon Sgt. First Class Shaun Bruce, said he saw Kroom transition first-hand.

"He actually came to us in Iraq, right after Afghanistan," Bruce said on the phone. "Right from the beginning, he was able to take charge and lead the troops."

Bruce said he would take Kroom to war with him anytime.

"He is very responsible," Bruce said. "He was a leader to emulate and he optimized what a non-commissioned officer should be."

With academics and his social life in order, Kroom said he hasn't forgotten about his family.

Kroom said he doesn't get to spend as much time with his family compared to before. However, their significance has not wavered for him.

"I'm separate from my family because I'm here... I'm so far away.... but it helps to know that they're there," he said.

Since most of Kroom's family lives roughly 2,000 miles away in Michigan, he only gets to see them once a year, if he's lucky.

Kroom's mother, Debra Smiley, said that although she misses her son, she's become accustomed to the separation.

"(Not being able to speak to Tom) doesn't bother me at all," she said over the phone. "After his two tours in Iraq, college is nothing."

She said his path to college has been unique, but she believes he is doing "fine."

"A lot of people go out of high school and go to college the next year," Smiley said. "Here he is, he's been overseas three times after being in the war, and now he's going to college. He's responsible and he handles his jobs and his school and his payments...I'm proud of him."

Smiley said she remembers when Kroom first wanted to join the army. She said she wouldn't assist him with his enlistment, saying such a commitment was "his own responsibility."

Kroom enlisted on his 18th birthday and said he had the most practical of reasons.

"(I joined the military) mainly because there was no way to afford college," he said. "I thought...I could do this for four years."

Kroom now has a girlfriend and takes ballroom dancing classes.

He said he doesn't want to think too far into the future, adding he is "still in transition."

Andres Perez can be reached at aperez@statehornet.com.

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