I figure that I had best start out with some studying. I wanted to show that we did do it at one time or another. Check out those college student couches. Jen and I would often study together. Can’t say we were always productive, but we tried.
Two of my best friends are in the next picture; Ian and Stella Smith
I met Stella my freshman year and Ian the next year. Ian and I were roommates for my last semester at MU. What a blast that was.
Here they are in our room, ready for a night of fun at the winter Snowball.
Ian and Stella, at last time reported, were stationed in Germany. We’ve been trying to regain contact with them, but have not had any luck.
One of Jen’s best friends was Bridget Linemann. She and Jen were two peas in a pod. My favorite story was Jen and Bridget were arguing over whether the Hamm’s mascot was a bear or a skunk. Bridget was working for Hamm’s at the time. She thought it was a skunk. That’s okay. Recognition of beer mascots was not a required course at Marquette.
Here are a few pictures of our friends.
Patty, Vicke, Laura Stella, Kim Enderlin, Jen
Somewhere in between commissioning and the next photo, Jennifer and I were married in St. Louis. Go to the wedding section for the photos and stories.
When I wasn’t tied up with ROTC, I competed on the Marquette Rifle Team, an actual NCAA Division 1 sport. I never amounted to anything, but I had a great time. We had a small team, so that brought some of us really close. The man on my right, I’m in the white coat, is Mark Yackley. He was my best man at the wedding. My other good friends were Becky, Nancy, Mike, Big Jim, Wayne, and Eric.
I’d be remiss without adding a picture of me catching a catnap in Jennifer’s room prior to one of my math classes. I wore my uniform on Fridays, so I had become so adept at this technique that I wouldn’t wrinkle my uniform or scuff my boots.
Our last semester we were introduced by Mark to our new roommate, one hilarious character, Ben Summers. Ben introduced an international flavor to our room as he was a well-travelled man. He also brought some great prank talent. Poor Bill Zielinski was the butt of one of our pranks when "Achmed" (Ben) called his room looking for his notes and his friend Beluki. Bill began to get upset when our Arab friend said he was going to bomb his country, so we stopped...for a little bit.
Here we are at my last military ball. Senior Cadets are honored by making a last walk under the sabre arch. Jennifer and I had a pretty good time that night. I was partly in charge of the ball, so I was glad it went well. Brian and Joey Schroeder were in the class behind me. Both of them lived in the same apartment complex as we did, so we saw them quite a bit. They were married shortly after I left Marquette.
Of course, the culminating event in my college career was being commissioned as an officer into the United States Army. Here, Mom and Dad pin my gold bars onto my uniform. December 14, 1996, I was commissioned a Second Lieutenant into the United States Army Quartermaster Corps.
Jennifer graduated from Marquette in May 1997. She joined me at my duty station at Fort Lee, VA where we actually started living together as a married couple.
