Johnathan Duncan remembers sitting around eating cold chicken fingers and watching MTV with his buddies. When the Scissor Sisters released their music video for “I Don’t Feel Like Dancin’” in 2006, they would joke around and make fun of it.
Making fun of bad music videos was an escape.
“I could forget that death was right outside my door,” he said.
Duncan, a senior from Newton and a specialist in the Army National Guard, was in Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Duncan is the president of the Collegiate Veterans Association, KU, which has 36 members for the 2010-2011 school year.
Today, it might be hard to tell he spent 16 months in Iraq. He walks around campus just like anyone else — just blending in. He’s 24 years old and trying to finish his senior year.
He sports Ray Ban eyeglasses, a gray sweatshirt and dark gray corduroy jeans.
He goes to class. He works on veteran’s advocacy. He plays video games. He’s going to a Kansas City Chiefs game later this month. He reads and writes. Sometimes he goes on runs.
But things were different in Iraq.
“There wasn’t a typical day,” he said.
While deployed, he spent his days kicking in doors during raids, getting mortars shot at him and performing route security and route clearance.
That meant searching for IEDs — improvised explosive devices. Making a wrong move or not paying attention could be deadly.
Read the full story at the Daily Kansan.
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