tl20041206_001 "Baltimore's #1 College Paper - Published Twice-Weekly - www.thetowerlight.com Monday, 12/06/04 Lecture glimpses 'down low1 males 5 Activists protest store's catalogs 5 Holiday display benefits hospital Authors give blunt relationship advice 15 Departments Opinion 2 News 5 Paw Prints 10 Arts 15 Sound Bites 16 Entertainment Briefs 16 Now Showing. 17 Classifieds 19 Sports 24 In This Corner. 24 Face-Off. 23 Student soldier tells Iraq story TU junior Scott Spaulding deploys to Fallujah, assists in war-torn country's rebuilding efforts Brian Stelter The Towerlight """"I'm on spring break in Fallujah right now."""" Call Scott Spaulding's cell phone, and that's the message. On any given day, the junior polit ical science major may be checking up on contractors, meeting with village leaders, or distributing school supplies to local children. Spaulding is a member of the United States Marine Corps. Since August, his education at Towson University has been on hold as he assists in the reconstruction of Iraq. The 20-year-old is part of the Fourth Civil Affairs Group, based in Washington D.C. He is part of a seven-man team attached to the Third Battalion Fifth Marine Regiment. """"Generally speaking, our job is to serve as a liaison between the military and the civilian community in our area of operations,"""" Spaulding Musicians 'band together1 to fight lupus Kevin Lavezzo/The Towerlight Justin Fry, lead singer for the band No Compromise, performs during Phi Sigma Pi's Band Together for Lupus Benefit Concert Saturday night on the Susquehanna Terrace. Proceeds benefited Lupus Mid-Atlantic. explained. """"There are a wide variety of tasks involved, but the most fulfilling are those that involve working with children, particularly caring for refugees, or handing out school supplies at school openings."""" Spaulding's workday usually begins at 6 a.m. and wraps up around 7 p.m. His schedule and duties change frequently. In November, he helped obtain humanitarian supplies and relocate civilians displaced by the fighting in Fallujah. """"Life here is very different from school,"""" Spaulding said matter-of- factly. """"Most importantly it makes you appreciate everything so much more. Being clean or eating a hot meal is a luxury. Having running water isn't as simple as turning on a faucet."""" There are still moments that remind Spaulding of life in Towson, though. """"Living in a small four-room house with 20 male Marines ensures that there are always some fiat boy antics,"""" he joked. He and his teammates live in a camp just outside of Fallujah. """"It was once a resort for Baath party members,"""" he said. """"We bombed it during the war, and it was looted by locals before it was secured. We now occupy a small home on the side of a lake."""" 'The sound of bullets passing near you' Spaulding was recently informed that he would receive the Purple Heart for a wound he suffered in a firefight earlier this fall. """"A bullet ricocheted off of the ground and struck my calf,"""" he said. Spaulding's unit has been attacked several times and he has witnessed many firefights and one Improvised Explosive Device attack. He described them as """"somewhat of an adrenaline rush."""" """"When we come under attack, either by IED, RPG [Rocket Propelled Grenade], or small arms fire, we immediately begin trying to find the source of the attack,"""" Spaulding said. """"The enemy is usually well-hidden."""" """"We dismount our vehicles and return fire with rifles and machine guns to suppress them,"""" he explained. See SPAULDING, page 8 Today High 49 Low 46 Tuesday High 64 Low 48 Wednesday High 54 Low 33 Thursday High 53 Low 42 Friday High 58 Low 45"
