Career military man adapts to campus life
Stephanie Guzman
Posted on: 11/19/09 Section: Features
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He was sent to different bases that included Fort Rucker, Ala.; Fort Still, Okla.; Fort Hood, Texas; and Ray Barracks in what was then West Germany.
McCarthy is in his first semester at PCC. The 46-year-old Connecticut native has been living in California for 12 years.
"It's tough at times but I wanted to go to college and get my education," said McCarthy of his experience at PCC so far.
He plans to major in either political science or philosophy and eventually get his master's in English. He wants to have a career in a government program like the CIA after receiving his degree.
McCarthy joined the Army because he felt the need to serve his country and because he felt it had good education programs for him.
"I joined the Army in 1981, which was two months before my graduation," he said. "I didn't graduate since I joined the army."
McCarthy served in the Iraq war for one 18-month tour of duty from 2003-2005.
During the war he was assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division in Task Force 6-26.
Like many war veterans, he has many traumatizing memories.
"I was almost ambushed during one trip," he said.
McCarthy also told of a time he had seen an eight-year-old child who had a control in his hand. He didn't know why the child was at the site but before he could ask he had to leave the place.
"One of my partners told me we had to get out of the site. By the end, we left and the site exploded. I was lucky that I got out of the site in time," he said.
After returning from war, McCarthy said it was hard for him to adjust to the life he had before. He suffered from post-traumatic disorder, which is common for veterans.
Unfortunately for McCarthy, more hardships awaited when he returned home to a brother suffering from leukemia.
"My brother died a year after I came back from Iraq," he said. "It was a tough time for me, as it was all the pain and suffering."
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