Students may not realize some of their peers serve the nation while also being full-time students at Simpson College. Senior Bradley Metz, sophomore Luke Beenblossom and sophomore Randal Archipeque have all been serving in the military, or plan to serve post-graduation.
Metz serves in the Army National Guard as a military police soldier and has also deployed overseas to Kosovo. He decided to join the National Guard because he felt obligated to serve his country.
“My primary motivation was that I felt an obligation to serve. You know, I think it’s a great experience, and you definitely grow and learn a lot,” Metz said.
Beenblossom has not started his time in the military yet, but plans to serve in the Marine Corps. He had a similar reason for wanting to serve the country.
“It’s something that I’ve always wanted to do since I was about a freshman in high school, and I’d say it was more of a calling than anything. I felt like I was called to do it,” Beenblossom said.
However, serving in the military does come with hardships. Archipeque is an ammunition technician in the Marines, which he decided to enlist in after his first year at Simpson. Before enlisting, he was a defensive lineman on the football team, but the physical demands of the Marines made him hang up his cleats.
“I went through boot camp and lost 60 pounds, and I used to play football on the D-line, and that doesn’t exactly work out when you weigh 160 pounds now,” Archipeque said.
Metz experienced many physical hardships while serving overseas. He also sacrificed time with his loved ones, as he missed birthdays and weddings. Despite this, he was able to realize everyone was going through struggles themselves.
“You’re not the only one going through it. When I was overseas, everyone had their rough spots,” Metz said. “Everybody’s going through something, so you really only get what you get what you put into it, and it doesn’t come easy.”
Although serving involves hardships and challenges, the three encourage anyone considering enlisting to do so. Beenblossom claims there are many benefits to enlisting, such as paying for his college, but it is also rewarding in other ways.
“I think if you have that calling, definitely try and pursue it. There’s a lot of great things that the military does for you, and most of the hardest things in life are the most fulfilling,” Beenblossom said.
One of those rewarding effects, according to Archipeque, is the pride he gets from the work he does for the country.
“The main thing for me that I got out of it is pride. You gotta be humble with it, but at the same time, you gotta be proud of what you’ve earned,” Archipeque said.
College in itself can be a challenge for students, but these three, and many others at Simpson and college campuses nationwide, manage to work towards their degrees while fighting for the country.
