McCormick senior Charles Lee, arrested earlier this month on charges of desertion, began the discharge process from the Marine reserves last spring because involvement put a strain on his academic career, he said.

A year later, Lee is being held at a barracks in Quantico, Va., and is pushing back graduation day yet again.

He said Friday he expects to be released by mid-May with an “other than honorable discharge.” The consequences for Lee’s actions are “lukewarm” and equate to a slap on the wrist, said Major Rick Coates, a spokesman for Lee’s former battalion.

Lee’s involvement in the reserves — while perhaps unique to NU students — is not unique to his age group.

Seventy-seven percent of members in the Marine reserves are under 24 years old, said Coates, of the 2nd Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment. Coates estimated that about 50 percent of 18- to 21-year-old Marines reservists are full- or part-time students at a college or university.

Lee, who refused the call to active duty in June 2004 when his unit was deployed to Iraq, said he is not a deserter because he had begun the discharge process. He has been held at a barracks since April 6 on non-judicial punishment, which is issued for minor offenses, according to the U.S. military Web site.

College Reservists

Dan Riordan, an aspiring history and sociology teacher, put his college career on hold to join the reserves. The 22-year-old was in the same battalion as Lee and served in Iraq.

About a week after returning from Marine service in Iraq, Riordan is adjusting to driving on American roads, having his own room and taking showers every day.

For seven months, he relinquished those freedoms to work in the mechanics division of the Chicago-based 2nd Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment.

Riordan said he doesn’t resent delaying college to be a Marine. He completed a semester at a branch of Purdue University Calumet in Hammond, Ind., in Fall 2003. He plans to return to Purdue-Calumet this fall and eventually transfer to Indiana University in Bloomington.

“I joined for a reason,” Riordan said on his service in Iraq. “I fulfill(ed) that reason.”

Not all reservists are as eager to serve.

Some 5,500 servicemen have deserted since Operation Iraqi Freedom began in March 2003, according to CBS News.

“The perception is you join the Army or Marine Corps, you go to Iraq and get killed,” Coates said. “People are kind of jumpy, especially parents.”

But this hasn’t affected Chicago-area Marine recruiters because this area has already fulfilled its annual quota, said Captain Jose DeLeon, an officer selection officer for Recruiting Station Chicago.

The war also hasn’t made Riordan or other college reservists question their decision to enlist. They said they joined the Marines for the chance to serve their country.

“It’s a big sacrifice,” said Chris Bay, 23, a Marine and former student at Illinois State University in Normal. “But it’s well worth it. It’s a privilege to be able to (serve).”

The Sacrifices

Croates said reservists complete 12 to 13 weeks of boot camp the summer after they enlist. While they’re going to school, they are required to drill one weekend a month, Coates said. On these weekends, members of the Chicago regiment arrive at the base at 7 p.m. on a Friday to drive five hours to Fort McCoy, Wis., the next morning. They practice skills like shooting and maneuvering through the woods.

“It was like having to work two straight weeks,” said Andrew Scott, a 32-year-old Marine and 2001 graduate of Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Mich., who attended college while enlisted in the Marine reserves.

Scott said these weekends cut into his study time, but he compensated by doing extra work during the week.

Mark Gannon, 25, said Marines lead more guarded social lives since they are held to a higher standard of expectation.

When called into active duty, Marines put a hold on college to serve. Gannon said he has attended Northern Illinois University in DeKalb since 1999 and still has 16 credits to finish before graduating.

“You sacrifice so much,” Gannon said. “You’re almost paying to put your life on hold.”

Under the Illinois Veterans Grant, Marines who serve on active duty are provided free college tuition at any public university in the state, Coates said.

While money is a benefit, Marines said, it is not the primary reason for joining. Other branches of the military provide better benefits, Coates said.

Riordan, who plans to go to school in Indiana, won’t even use the scholarship money. Coates said many choose the Marines over other branches of service because of the pride that comes with serving as one. Gannon said serving in Iraq cemented that experience for him.

“It’s like being part of a team,” Gannon said. “That mentality is so strong. It’s something I could never give up.”

Reach Francesca Jarosz at [email protected].