Veteran Loses Friends, Gains Faith After Serving in Middle East, Raymond Frye Pursues a Renewed Life at Northwestern
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Volume 85 - Issue 14 February 8, 2013 Veteran loses friends, gains faith AFTER SERVING IN MIDDLE east, RAYMOND FRYE PURSUES A RENEWED LIFE at NORTHWesteRN BY MEGAN CURRENT Veteran Raymond Frye joined the military as a teenager. He served for eight years as an infantry soldier, and he has been enrolled at Northwestern since January. Frye started attending a community college right after high school, but he later made the decision to join the military at the age of 19. His family was supportive of his decision. “I have a dad and uncle in the infantry, a brother in the Air Force and a cousin in the Marines,” Frye said. “I joined because of my sense of adventure.” Frye served as an infantry soldier in the Army and Air Force. He started his basic training at Fort Benning in Georgia. Frye trained for two months at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin in California before being deployed to Iraq. While deployed in Iraq, Frye was a combat soldier. Frye said he had several duties, which included apprehending high-value targets (looking for terrorists), providing security for convoys and helping eliminate villagers’ threats (terrorists). While Frye was in Iraq, he worked on two campaigns. The first mission, Operation Iraqi Freedom, was designed for combat operations, which included finding and killing terrorists. This mission is an ongoing battle that is still in effect today. The second mission, Operation New Dawn, didn’t work the way it was planned. “New Dawn was meant for hearts and minds. We trained the Iraqis for the military transition to allow their military to regain power,” Frye said. “This never happened, and we “The only time you realize you don’t like it is when people start dying.” ended up still fighting bad guys.” Frye said his experience in the Middle East was an eyeopener. There is a large gap between the rich and the poor. He said the rich were “Westernized” and went to universities and drove nice cars. The poor resided in ghettos and villages. “I couldn’t believe how ignorant the people were,” Frye said. “Their literacy rates were really low. The women would sleep outside, and the men would get to sleep inside. The children would be literally sitting in trash. Everything was completely trashed and dirty.” Many American soldiers did not agree with the religious practices of the Iraqis or how they treated the women of their country. “Religion controlled them,” Frye said. “It made me question my own faith. I couldn’t believe how religion can affect a person and make them ignorant. Living conditions of Iraqi children were terrible. War is never good, but it got to the point where we were helping people that didn’t want to help themselves.” The first time Frye was ever scared was when rounds were going off near his head. Most soldiers would either do their duty or freeze up. “You would get a sense of a high or rush,” Frye said. “The reason why (soldiers) like combat is because of the high you get. The only time you realize you don’t like it is when people start dying. I was always thinking I would die.” The experience that affected Frye the most was when his best friend died. Frye’s unit was stationed at an Iraqi compound, and the soldiers were enjoying down time. The unit was to meet up with the Iraqi security forces, who were supposed to be allies to the unit. “One guy came in and started shooting people,” Frye said. “My best friend died in my arms. I lost two of my best friends overseas. I was a mess.” It was challenging for Frye to regain his faith after leaving Iraq. Before being sent home, he was stationed at a fort in Hawaii to recuperate. “It took me two years to get my faith back. It definitely left when my friend died,” Frye said. PHOTO SUBMITTED See “Soldier” on Page 4 Frye (Right) stands in uniform with a Chaplain at a military event. • Page 2: Get the sneak peak at student art show. • Page 3: Zombie romance gets high review. Inside this issue: • Page 4: Raider Cup hopes to raise enthusiasm. • Page 5: Prayer group connects through worship. • Page 7: Women’s basketball knocks off Concordia. • Page 8: Interested in study abroad? Get more info! 2 Art show draws inspiration from Shakespeare BY KALI WOLKOW find humor in the peculiar. Feb. 15, brings to life the originally wanted to enter “Every why hath a The exhibition will comedic struggles of two a painting, but I didn’t have wherefore.” display artwork that sets of identical twins. time to work on one before So said Shakespeare in reflects the different, When these sibling look- the due date, so I entered my his “Comedy of Errors.” the paradoxical and the alikes reunite after 25 years plates instead. In modern terms, this unique throughout the of separation, they cause “I titled them ‘Falling’ means “there is a reason arts center in conjunction more than a few problems because of the dripped glaze for everything.” And that with the theater for each other. I thought it made my plates reason might be comical department’s production With that in mind, all fit the Shakespearean and a bit strange. of “Comedy of Errors.” artists within a 300-mile theme even though it was The Orange City Arts Shakespeare’s “Comedy radius of Orange City were a last-minute decision,” Council’s upcoming of Errors” spins a tale of encouraged to submit Vetter said. regional art exhibition, confusion and hilarity. artwork that reflected Professor Emily Stokes, which will be open Feb. The play, which will be this theme of comedic one of the judges for the 15 ‑23 at the DeWitt Theatre performed at the Allen misperceptions. exhibit, agreed with Vetter’s Arts Center, is an occasion to Black Box Theatre starting Northwestern art interpretation and added her professors Phil Scorza, Yun own artistic analysis of the Shin and Emily Stokes juried presentation. the entries. “I liked the way she Twenty different pieces photographed her by 20 different artists were ceramics,” Stokes said. selected for the exhibit. Two “I thought it was a nice were works done by NW but subtle approach to art students. something comedic. Junior Kayla Vetter “When the judging panel submitted a trifecta of narrowed down the works PHOTO BY EMILEE BERRY ceramic plates she made to fit the theme, we took a Sophomore Katlyn Loeschen’s collage will be featured at the show. for her ceramics course last pretty liberal interpretation,” was to form an interior space selection process was based semester. Vetter used a Stokes said. “We also paid collage of their choice and on process,” Stokes said. slab roller technique and attention to the craft. I’m then duplicate it in an oil “Katlyn’s piece was a a dripped glaze effect to pretty sure Kayla had the painting. painting from a collage the produce a cohesive yet only ceramics.” “We were supposed to very nature of doing unusual look. Vetter wasn’t the only NW capture the texture and that is funny.” When Vetter created student to get noticed for her patterns to make it look The “Falling” plates and these plates last semester, craftsmanship. like the original collage,” painted collage, along they were not remotely Sophomore art Loeschen said. “It was a with 18 other works of related to “Comedy of student Katlyn Loeschen really difficult project for me various artists, will be Errors.” However, when submitted a collage and I complained a lot. available for viewing in the call came for artwork, painting that cleverly tied I didn’t want to paint a the DeWitt Theatre lobby Vetter’s ideas took on into the up-is-down nature picture of something I Friday, Feb. 15. a more Shakespearean of Shakespeare’s play. had already done.” “There will be a rock-star appreciation. Loeschen’s piece, like It was a weird concept sculpture work,which is just “Whenever I think of Vetter’s, was the product of but a perfect fit for this Arts funny,” Stokes said. PHOTO BY EMILEE BERRY NW junior Kayla Vetter entered her plates last minute and was Shakespeare, I think of an art course she took last Council exhibition. What else? Stop by and chosen for the community art show. drama,” Vetter said. “I semester. The assignment “In some cases, the find out. ‘Mama’ mostly lives up to expectations MOVIE REVIEWW left alone. Five years later, the girls’ lives. 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