Spring Break
ECU students get an inside look at life in the military
Natalie Jurgen
Issue date: 10/21/08 Section: News
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Class instructor Barbara Bullington, was contacted by Major Jeffrey Mozingo, a graduate of ECU and current student at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, about conducting the interviews.
"The commandant here at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College strongly encourages the officers attending school here to participate in various media outreach events," said Mozingo. "One of those is conducting an interview with the media."
Each student in the class was assigned the profile of a student at the college in Kansas that included information such as their rank and branch of service, number of years in the service, how much longer they would be serving, degrees currently held and those being pursued, marital and family status and future personal and professional goals.
Based on the profiles, students were asked to generate a few questions that they would ask the respective student in Kansas.
On the day of the interview, students gathered around a computer where the interview exchange was going to be held. Through video conferencing software, the students were able to both see and speak with each other.
Students asked the soldiers at the college a variety of questions including whether or not their deployments have affected their family dynamics, if they encourage their children to get involved with the military, what got them interested in serving and what it is like being a father and serving their country.
"I have a greater appreciation for family and family strength," said Major Michael Devine via the online interview, who has been in the service for 13 years and is married with two children, when asked how his deployment to Bosnia has changed him. "Seeing our Army performing a mission to help the Bosnian people gave me an increased sense of pride."
According to Mozingo, the students attending the course at the college in Kansas were primarily mid-career officers with a variety of personalities, backgrounds and personal and operational experiences.
"It's neat to have their students interact with ours," Bullington said. "If you don't have family in the military serving, it is hard to get a sense of what its like. The students will get a better sense of who these people are and what they want to accomplish."
Upon completion of the interviews, students in the class will write a news article about the exchange, in hopes of gaining a better understanding of the interviewing process.
"I was nervous going into it but it wasn't bad and I was able to get more comfortable with interviews," said student Ira Lyon.
"We hope the students were able to gain a little better understanding of the military, service members and military families," Mozingo said.
This writer can be contacted at news@theeastcarolinian.com.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Major Phil Dawson
posted 10/21/08 @ 8:14 PM EST
Thank you, Ms. Bullington, to you and your class for the opportunity talk about issues that are important to us and the country. I appreciate the time you, Jeff, and your students put in to making this interview possible. (Continued…)
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