Dr. Michael Gambone spent the Spring 2006 semester out of the classroom and into uniform as he served five months in Mosul, Iraq. The upside – his 80 x 20 steel, windowless living quarters on base was substantially larger than his Lytle Hall office; the downside – mortar and rocket fire replaced the usual noisy hallways.
Soon after the September 11 attacks, Gambone, 42, contacted the Pentagon about re-entering the military if needed. But, it wasn’t until December 2005 that he received the call for duty in Mosul where he served as a military advisor from January through May 2006. Regarding his decision to participate in the war, Gambone told the Morning Call in June that he struggled with guilt about not serving: “It bothered me that this was ongoing and I wasn’t there.”
While in Iraq, Gambone patrolled FOB Courage for insurgent activity and helped transition the base from U.S. to Kurdish control. “People would try to get on base with vehicle explosives or suicide bombs,” he told 69 News, “That’s what we watched for.”
Gambone previously served with the 82nd Airborne from 1985-88 and was an executive officer with the PA National Guard in the mid 90’s. He has taught courses on Latin American, U.S. and military history at Kutztown University since 1999. His most recent book, The Greatest Generation Comes Home: the Veteran in American Society, focuses on soldiers returning from service in WWII.
As for his own adjustment back to family, campus and community, Gambone is moving forward in stride. “He seems to be getting right back into the swing of things,” says department colleague Patricia Kelleher.
This coming fall, Gambone returns to a full teaching schedule, including a course on military history. He also begins his first semester as president of APSCUF, the union which negotiates faculty contracts. Gambone plans to supplement both tasks with his recent experience. "As union president for Kutztown faculty, I am looking forward to fighting for the very rights we sought to preserve in Iraq. And, in the classroom, I hope to use a newly-won perspective on the outside world to better prepare our students for their own future challenges."
For more information about Dr. Gambone’s book The Greatest Generation Comes Home: the Veteran in American Society, please click here.
