Alum postpones grad school to serve in Iraq
First
Lieutenant Chad M. Fox (second from left) Central Michigan
University alumnus ’05, and two other soldiers received the Combat
Action Badge in January of 2007 after a mortar attack hit near their
position.
Chad Fox
was starting his freshman year when the United States was attacked
on September 11, 2001. Like many Americans, he was profoundly
affected by the news and viewed the attacks as a call to action.
“I knew that I wanted to stay
at CMU and pursue a bachelor’s degree, but I also wanted to find a
way to serve my country,” said Fox.
He found his answer
in CMU’s Army Reserve Officer Training Program and began taking
classes the following semester. He graduated from CMU in 2005 with a
major in political science and was commissioned as a second
lieutenant in the Michigan National Guard.
“The ROTC program is
a wonderful learning experience,” said Fox. “Nothing can really
prepare you for war, but the ROTC program helps to lay the
groundwork. I also met great people through the program. Mount
Pleasant and the Central Michigan community were very supportive of
us.”
After completing his
required Officer Basic Course that fall, Fox decided to return to
CMU in January of 2006 to pursue a Master’s of Public Administration
degree. After one semester, he was called to duty to serve in Iraq.
“I joined the ROTC
after the 9/11 attacks, so serving my country in a war zone really
brought everything full circle for me. I think most of us had
initial concerns upon learning we would serve a year-long tour in
Iraq—mostly because of our fear of the unknown—but serving my
country was a positive experience, and I felt a sense of pride at
the end of each day,” Fox said.
Fox was deployed
through the Michigan National Guard and spent July through September
training at Fort McCoy, Wisc. He and his unit arrived at LSA
Anaconda in Balad, Iraq, on Oct. 1, 2006.
“The base was
relatively safe, but it was mortared nearly every day for the first
seven or eight months after we arrived,” Fox said.
“It’s common for
insurgents to pay local citizens to shoot mortars at American bases,
so it’s worth their time to come back every day. The U.S. forces
have been successful in stopping many of these attacks based on
intelligence they receive about when and where some of these attacks
may occur.”
As Detachment
Commander, Fox was responsible for supporting an 80-person
Multifunctional Medical Battalion which provided command and control
for level I and II medical care within the Iraqi Theater of
Operations.
On a typical day,
Fox would wake at 3 or 3:30 a.m. and complete physical training from
4 to 6 a.m. He spent most of his 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. work day writing
reports, attending meetings and managing all of the administrative,
logistic and training responsibilities for his unit.
Their daily uniform
was the Army Combat Uniform unless the threat level was elevated or
when they were under attack, which required them to wear helmets,
body armor, gloves and eye protection.
“My ROTC instructors
and officers provided me with wonderful mentoring experiences. Once
you begin your service as a junior officer, you really start to draw
from the knowledge and experiences that they shared with you,” Fox
said.
After a year of
service in Iraq, Fox has returned to CMU to finish his master’s
degree. He plans to pursue a career in local government and hopes to
one day serve as a city manager.
“The CMU ROTC
program was my first introduction to the military, and it also
turned out to be my first networking opportunity for the future,”
said Fox. “I still keep in contact with many of the friends that I
made at CMU, including one ROTC peer that served in the same unit
with me in Iraq. I look forward to continuing my service to both my
country and my community.”
Fox received The
Army Commendation Medal upon completion of his service. He was
recognized for “maintain(ing) accountability of all unit property
and equipment valued at over $8 million dollars and ensur(ing) the
safety, discipline, and accountability of over 80 soldiers.”
