Prayers are with relatives and acquaintances of Pep community who are at war in the Middle East.
By Andrea Banda
A&E Editor
While U.S. troops engage in war across the globe, their absence has deeply affected thousands of families left behind in America. Members of the Pepperdine community are no exception, as a number of faces on campus have friends and loved ones overseas.
Ginger Rosenkrans, an adjunct professor in the Communication Division, has a 20-year-old nephew in the U.S. Army Infantry. Michael Weiand joined the military right before Sept. 11, 2001. Shortly after he completed his basic training he was deployed to Afghanistan.
Right now he belongs to the 10th Mountain Division Infantry of the Army and said he feels completely safe and confident knowing he could go into combat.
“I’ve got the best training in the world and men I can trust,” Weiand said in a telephone interview. “And I have the Lord behind my back.”
Weiand said he originally joined the military because of the patriotism his late father had.
“I thought it would fulfill something my dad would like,” Weiand said. “And also to serve my country. I wanted to give something back and do something fun.”
Rosenkrans said their family gets through his possible deployment with prayer.
“Our family is pulled together by prayer,” she said. “We trust in the Lord that it’s by his grace.”
She said “Little Michael’s” faith sustains his military experience.
“He’s so courageous,” she said. “He’s not afraid because he’s a believer in Christ.”
Tammy Guerra, administrative assistant of the Journalism Department, said goodbye to her husband Rich on Monday. Rich Guerra is a Navy dentist working with the Marines, sent out with 150 other members of a medical team. He has not been given a time for when he’ll return — as of now it’s indefinite.
The contact that they will have is limited and will be restricted to mail for security reasons. The couple received word of possible deployment earlier this year, but it was postponed until Monday.
“This has been a possibility for awhile,” Guerra said. “But when we actually found out, I felt panic at first and then numbness. It’s been a surreal experience.”
Despite the shocking news, Guerra is trying to get through each day by keeping busy.
“I also say a lot of prayers,” she said. “I also get daily e-mails from the Navy about activities over there, which helps me feel more connected to what’s going on.”
Business professor Dr. Roy Adler also has a close family member overseas — his son Davidson, a Pepperdine alumnus.
Davidson Adler is in the 1st Marine Division and participated in the Reserves throughout his four years of college. He has been gone for five weeks.
Like Rosenkrans and Guerra, the Adler family uses prayer to handle the experience.
“If prayers protect people, he is absolutely invulnerable,” Adler said of his son. “I’m glad he has the courage and the character to do things many other people would not do.”
Freshman Tarah Travis has also experienced the absence of her boyfriend Michael Boulerice because of his military assignments. He is a member of the 82nd Airborne group of the Army and is currently stationed in North Carolina, but could be deployed at any time.
“It’s hard because I’m not going to see him or talk to him for six months to a year,” she said. “You have to have the faith that he’s going to come back and that he’s going to be OK. He’s out protecting our country.”
March 20, 2003
