Letter to the Editor: Johnny Perkins
Editor’s note: Although we do not publish letters to the editor often, we felt as if this letter brought a valuable perspective on one of our recent stories: “Military students balance school and service.”
Hello,
Let me start off by saying that I appreciate the effort of the Clarion to highlight what it means to be both a military service member and balance the life of a college student. However, I and some fellow service members had a few issues with the article that I would like to express, as well as clarifications on a few topics within the article.
The first clarification would be on the repeated use of the phrase “a weekend a month, two weeks during the summer a year.” While I understand this is a widely used phrase by recruiters, it is often unfortunately unrealistic and untrue. It varies widely based upon what branch you serve under and what job you are assigned as to how many days per year are needed. Speaking for myself, that often looks like going for three-day weekends spent working from 0700-1800 or 1900 on vehicle maintenance, crew certifications, weapons cleaning, and many other tasks. The advertised two weeks during the summer, for my unit and units like mine, often looks like a full week during the month of March and an additional 4-6 weeks at some point during late April-late August. This period almost always falls during some point in the school year. This can often have profound impacts on a semester that can't be made up for by simply prepping ahead of times.
The second clarification would be the psychological effects that transitioning from military life to civilian life can have on a person. These effects can be harsh and life-threatening and are made to seem fairly lighthearted in the article. Military members have rates of suicide that can be as high as 2-3 times more than a civilian. We often experience feelings and loneliness and isolation in civilian life and any time these are talked about it is imperative that the seriousness of these issues is stressed and resources for help are cited. There is also a large portion of us that balance a family on top of service and college. This group makes up a vital part that needs representation in articles such as this too.
The third is more of a personal issue with the general tone of the article. It is an honor to have the chance to serve in the military, but this service can often make life difficult. The article has a lighthearted tone that almost makes light of service. While I am sure this is unintentional, I feel it is necessary to point out during the times that we live in, a deployment can often come with short notice and requires one to virtually put their life on hold. This happened to me personally last year when I deployed and was required to put plans of education on the back burner for a full year. In addition, we as Guardsmen and women have a further responsibility to protect the state we live in and respond to disasters and disturbances. This can be seen in Tennessee through tornado relief efforts especially. One other example would also be Covid-19 response. Guardsmen and women across the state have worked since March to flatten the curve, provide relief and man testing stations. Personally, I have responded to riots and civil unrest several times throughout the year. These are all things that fall in alongside our typical duties.
I want to again say that it is appreciated by myself, my family, and fellow service members that the Clarion is interested in publishing articles of this nature, however, it is imperative that multiple views and impacts are considered before publishing to portray the military in as accurate light as possible. If you ever have questions or concerns, feel free to reach out, as I am happy to talk more about any of these things.
Respectfully,
Johnny Perkins
