Life in the military, as told by MAJ Coleman

When civilians normally think of leaders in the military, some may picture iron-willed and highly temperamental men – the kind that get into the faces of underlings and bark orders from behind cigar-clenching teeth. Types like General George S. Patton, if you will.

Then, there’s Major (MAJ) Richard Coleman – a mild-mannered and personable leader in the U.S. Army, an assistant professor of military science and the enrollment officer for SRU’s Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC).

Having served in the military for about 20 years, Coleman said he joined the Army Reserve upon going to college so he could be in the military without having to leave school. He said his particular field of specialty in the military, or Military Occupation Specialty (MOS), is field artillery, and has been since he began his career.

Originally from Ohio, Coleman started his military career by going to Fort Sill, Okla. for basic training and Advanced Individual Training (AIT). After training, he said went back to his home state for drilling in Cincinatti for about one year before being stationed on active duty at Fort Riley, Kan. for about five years.

Coleman said he was also stationed in Korea after his time in Kansas, but didn’t get to see actual combat until he was deployed to Iraq in 2003.

According to Coleman, being on base in Korea is a lot like being on base anywhere in the US, with the exception of having to learn the ways of Korean culture. The initial arrival into Iraq, on the other hand, was an adjustment for him and other soldiers.

“Iraq in ’03 was a little different,” he said. “That was the initial war time frame going through there. We didn’t have many interpreters, [and] we didn’t really understand the culture as much as we would’ve liked.”

While Coleman said trying to understand the culture was difficult the first time around, he said it got much easier to understand and talk to the civilians when he went back to Iraq from 2008 to 2009, as part of a team training Iraqi soldiers. After completing his second round of duty in Iraq, Coleman came to SRU to become an assistant professor of military science, and the enrollment officer for the ROTC program.

When he came to Slippery Rock, Coleman said he had never heard of the town or university before in his life, but added that he quickly came to enjoy it.

“Initially, I didn’t know what to expect because I had never heard about [Slippery Rock] before or even knew where it was,” he said. “When I got here, I found it to be a nice small town with a nice university. I’ve been able to take and teach some classes and enjoy myself. But the important thing is, the community support for the military has been great. I haven’t been in a place more supportive.”

Currently, Coleman said he’s waiting for orders to go back to Iraq in June as an adviser for Iraq’s military. Once his duties in Iraq are fulfilled, he said he plans to retire from the military.

Transitioning from a life of combat to civilian life can be tough for soldiers who have seen combat, especially for those who come back with injuries or deal with mental trauma such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Coleman said transitioning into civilian life from life in combat back in 2009 was easy for him, but added that it could be quite difficult for other soldiers.

“It’s almost like opposite ends of a spectrum for an army guy,” he said.

The videos displayed below are various clips of a field exercise conducted for SRU's American Military Experience class on Thursday, April 12. The exercise was held at the Slippery Rock Sportsman Club, and was conducted by local students and officers from the Army Reserve.