Student soldiers leave today for training

Beaver students who are also soldiers are leaving today for Fort Hood, Texas, to begin training that will eventually place them with other American peacekeeping forces in Iraq. Brian McMasters, a junior majoring in information sciences and technology (IST), and Roger Nichols, an applied psychology major, are both Beaver campus students who are departing with John Parks, a former Beaver student who is now a senior majoring in IST at the University Park campus. The men were called up along with 140 men and women from Alpha Company, 28th Signal Bn, Westview location. They expect to be sent to Iraq in January or February 2004, and will be supporting the 39th Infantry Brigade (National Guard) out of Arkansas with telecommunications and data.