Peter Lampman is scheduled to leave CU for Afghanistan this fall.
Lampman, 22, an integrative physiology sophomore and member of the Army National Guard, says he is prepared to leave. He is scheduled to leave the U.S. on Nov. 29.
Although U.S. forces have been in Afghanistan since 2001, recent debates in Washington have centered around the possibility of sending a surge of more troops to the country.
“I’m a little nervous,” Lampman said, “but mostly I’m excited.”
In a recent interview Lampman explained his arrangements in preparing for his deployment.
“I’ve been training a lot for the past year, but right now I’m in the process of renting my apartment and doing all of the little things,” he said.
Lampman said that although he is excited about his departure, there are still aspects of CU and Boulder which he will surely miss.
“I’ll definitely miss the triathlon team and just hanging out with my friends,” Lampman said.
Kevin Crooks, 22, a linguistics master’s candidate and Lampman’s roommate, also spoke with the CU Independent about Lampman’s departure from CU.
“I think for him leaving is a good thing,” Crooks said. “The military is very important to Peter.”
Crooks said he supports his roommate despite his concerns and opinions on the war.
“It’s a very commendable thing to go overseas,” Crooks said.
Other CU students agree that while it is difficult to watch someone close to you leave for war, it is important to be supportive.
Abby Morgenweck, 18, a freshman business major, has had to experience saying goodbye to a friend who was sent to Afghanistan.
“It’s really hard seeing them leave because you don’t know what kind of danger they’re in,” Morgenweck said. “We don’t realize how lucky we are to live in such a great country.”
Lampman stressed the importance of public support for the military.
“People need to realize that they cannot [not] support the war, but still support the troops,” Lampman said.
Speaking about his future return to the U.S. and CU, Lampman said he is unsure of his direction.
“It’s all up in the air,” Lampman said. “I’m planning on it, but I have a lot of questions about what I want to do.”
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Colleen Smith at Colleen.p.smith@colorado.edu.
