http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-0701270059jan27,1,5066689.story?coll=chi-news-hedAfter seeing combat in Afghanistan twice, a Darien man and his family are fighting the Army's call for a third tour, this time to Iraq
By Jo Napolitano
Tribune staff reporter
Published January 27, 2007
Denied.
It was the only word Drew Sleezer really heard when he got the phone call this week.
Sleezer, 22, who already had served two combat tours in Afghanistan, pleaded with the Army to allow him to continue with his college education rather than return to duty.
Instead, he has been ordered to ship out for Iraq June 3. He got the news Thursday.
The Darien man was 17 when he joined the Army, delighted by a $5,000 signing bonus and eager to fight in Afghanistan. It all looked so good: a chance to travel, to pay for college and to fight in a meaningful war after the 2001 terrorist attacks.
He made an eight-year commitment, with three years of active duty and the remainder as an inactive reservist. He said he was told the chances of his being called back after his discharge from active duty were remote.