BY ALEXIS BOHLINGER
Cardinal Staff
In honor of Veteran’s Day on Nov. 11, the United States recognizes all of the soldiers who have served and are serving our country today. One of SMU’s own, Michelle Richardson, a senior from Havre, Mont., knows all too well what it means to honor a soldier.
On May 17, 2008, Michelle married her hometown sweetheart, John Richardson of the United StatesArmy. Four months later, John was deployed to Iraq, where he served for one year. As a specialist in the Army Infantry, John spent most of his time in Mosul and Baqubah, Iraq. “Some days we’d have a specific objective, like raiding houses or collecting intelligence,” John said.
“Every now and then we would sweep an entire city, going through every house and building making sure there was no insurgent activity.”
John feels that his time served in the U.S. Army has made him into a stronger, more responsible adult. “I’ve noticed that I have thicker skin and more discipline when it comes to getting a job done, no matter what the cost,” he said. John joined the Army immediately after graduating high school. Following boot camp, John was home on leave, and coincidently, Michelle was also home for fall break. It only took them running into one another for a flame to ignite. They began dating and were married two years later. “I couldn’t bear the thought of leaving my wife for a year, but I knew I had to serve my country,” John said.
During the time that John was overseas, Michelle was in school, working to get her degree in criminal justice. “It was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to experience,” Michelle said. “Long distance relationships are tough, but this was even harder because John could only call every three to four days, and I never knew when to expect him.”
Michelle spent all of her junior year in a worried state. “I couldn’t turn on the news because I didn’t want to hear about something that happened and fear that he was hurt,” Michelle said. “The best thing for me to do was to keep myself busy with school and friends. That was the only way I could keep my mind from going to those dark places.”
As a way to keep John close by, Michelle wore his dog tags every single day that he was deployed. John returned to his home base, Fort Wainwright, Alaska, on Aug. 29, 2009. Michelle will be graduating this December and plans to join him in Alaska, where they will celebrate their first Christmas together.
John will be discharged on Oct. 2, 2010. Michelle and John then plan to move back to Montana, where they will start a new adventure as a civilian married couple.
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