PRESQUE ISLE – When Scott Morgan began taking classes in the electrical construction and maintenance program at Northern Maine Community College in September 2002, he thought he would finish his degree in two years.

Obstacles that interfere with completing an education – money, health, family obligations – were not a significant detour for Morgan.

Instead there was war.

But while the war in Iraq continues, today the 28-year-old student, husband, father of two and squad leader in the 488th Military Police Company will receive his degree in electrical construction and maintenance during the college’s commencement.

“I’m very excited,” he said Thursday, pausing amid practice for the ceremony in which he will address his classmates. “It will be nice to finally receive my degree.”

Morgan lives in New Sweden with his wife, Amanda, and sons Brandon, 8, and Bryce, 6. joined the National Guard in July 2001.

“It was something I wanted to do for a while,” he said of joining the service. “My father and grandfather served in the military, plus I wanted money for college.”

Morgan completed his freshman year without interruption, but plans changed in January 2004 when he and his fellow soldiers in the Maine Army National Guard 152nd Field Artillery Unit were deployed to Iraq.

Morgan was stationed at Abu Ghraib “just after the news of the prisoner abuse made international headlines.”

“It was pretty hectic at times,” he said. “My unit took hundreds of mortar rounds in retaliation for the detainee abuse. There were quite a few times that I thought that I might not make it back alive, particularly during the first deployment.”

During a particularly violent time in April 2004, Morgan recalled, there was a day when mortar rounds rained in front, beside and behind him.

“There was smoke everywhere, and my comrades were calling me on the radio to me to make sure I was OK,” he said. “I couldn’t hear them, my ears were ringing so badly. … But that night, I went out and did the same job again.”

When his deployment ended in February 2005, it was too late to enroll for what was to be his final semester at NMCC. He wanted to return to school full time that fall, but since courses in the trade and technical occupations majors at NMCC run sequentially, the specific classes in electrical construction he needed to graduate would not be offered until the following spring semester.

Morgan instead found a job and enrolled part time at NMCC, planning to enroll full time for the spring semester of 2006 and graduate that May.

Midway through the semester, however, his unit was deployed as part of the Security Force 2 Unit. He served as a team leader and often acted as squad leader in his new assignment with the 488th Military Police Company.

Initially, he was stationed at Camp Navistar in northern Kuwait, which is less than a mile from the Iraq border. The unit eventually was moved to Camp Virginia Kuwait, and Morgan and his unit ran convoy operations throughout Iraq.

“The second deployment seemed easier,” he said. “We were always on the move. It seemed like you had more control over the situation.”

While it was easier for him, he acknowledged, it was no less difficult for his wife and children.

“My wife is amazing,” he said. “She kept everything together. I don’t know how she did it. I thought the second deployment would be easier on her. She assured me that it wasn’t.”

Returning from his second tour in July of last year, Morgan re-enrolled for classes in the fall of 2007. The toughest part about coming back to school, he said, was struggling to relearn everything he had forgotten.

Morgan’s instructors recently lauded him for his academic excellence, presenting him with the academic achievement award for the electrical construction and maintenance program.

“I have noticed a tremendous change in maturity and attitude in Scott since his first two attempts at the program. Scott is very serious and focused with respect to his studies and has become the go-to guy for many of his classmates who may need extra help with certain lab activities. He has a positive attitude, which he passes on to his classmates, making him a real asset for me in the classroom,” Chuck Kelley, NMCC electrical construction and maintenance instructor, said in a statement.

Morgan plans to become a licensed electrician and hopes one day to open his own business.

He said he plans to convey several messages to his classmates during his commencement address, one of the most important of which will be “don’t quit.”

“People have things in life thrown at them all the time, but don’t let them stand in your way,” he said. “How you deal with what is thrown at you is what defines you as a person.”

Commencement is scheduled for 10 a.m. today in the NMCC gymnasium.

jlbdn@ainop.com

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