Stories

Name: Nicole Middleton

Age: 27

Hometown: Green Bay, Wis.

Military Rank/Unit: E-4 Specialist, 1157th Transportation Company, Wisconsin Army National Guard

Tours: June 2006- August 2007, Taji, Iraq

NICHOLE MIDDLETON

By Zak Krauss

Becoming a Soldier

When Nicole Middleton enlisted with the Wisconsin Army National Guard in 2000, she was 19 and didn't have a way to pay for college. Middleton did not know then but, by signing up, she was headed for more than a college education.

I joined for the college money. I’m from a middle class family. I was the first person from my family to go to college. I didn’t want my parents to have to pay for it, so the Army seemed like a good option.

My mom didn’t even know I had done it. I actually went down to the recruiting station and signed on the dotted line without saying anything to her. She found out when my recruiter stopped by the house so she could watch the videotapes about what it would be like for me. My mom was like, “You joined the Army?” I said, “Yeah, but don’t worry, it’s only the National Guard…”

The rest of the story can be found in the book War: Through Their Eyes, which is sold at the University Books & More.

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