Adam Ruetten Story
Major: Education, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, 2015
Military rank: Sergeant E-5, 977 MP CO, US Army
Tour: February 2007-May 2008, Kirkuk, Iraq
Fisherman To Soldier
by Holly Ivansek
Student Reporter
Standing at the edge of Lake Milford in Kansas, with a fishing pole in hand all set to cast, Adam Ruetten cannot imagine any other way to spend his free time. Marveling at the water, he takes in the sound of the gentle wind rustling the leaves on nearby trees. The smell of the lake lingers in the air. It has been over a year since he has been able to enjoy the calm and quiet stillness of the water. The pure sound of nature. On May 9, 2008, only two days earlier, he was in Iraq fighting in a war.
These days Ruetten is a junior majoring in education at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. Ruetten still remembers the hard days and nights in the Middle East desert when he was deployed to Iraq for 15 months. In the Iraqi city of Kirkuk, he was filled with uneasiness and the sounds of rockets and car bombs going off in the distance.
To read the entire story, please download this PDF.
Podcasts
In this audio-only podcast, Adam Ruetten talks about the close calls with incoming rockets and how he and fellow soldiers deal with them.
In this audio-only podcast, Adam Ruetten shares his thoughts about the lessons learned from his military experience.
In this audio-only podcast Adam Ruetten discusses how dangers to the US Military didn't only involve small fire, IED's and rockets.
Podcasts produced by student reporter Holly Ivansek.
