Tremaine Joseph, business administration junior from Thibodaux, has returned to Nicholls after spending one year in Kuwait during his time in the army.Joseph is a member and the parliamentarian for Alpha Phi Alpha Inc. and works on campus for the recreation department.

“I joined the army mainly because I wanted to take advantage of the education benefits, and plus, it was my civic duty,” Joseph said. “I wasn’t mature enough at the time. I took it as a learning experience.”

Joseph enlisted in the army for eight years. His enlistment is now complete, and he has returned to Nicholls to continue his education.

Joseph was in the 1083rd Transportation Company based in Minden. He was deployed overseas in January 2003 while he was attending Nicholls. Spending four years overseas gave Joseph the chance to visit many places. His base camp was in Kuwait, but Basarah, Baghdad and Fallujah are among the many places he has been.

“We delivered tanks, fuel and whatever needed to be brought from Kuwait to those places,” Joseph said. Not only did Joseph deliver supplies, but he delivered food and transported other soldiers to the places that they needed to go.

Joseph’s initial orders were to spend six months overseas, but within a matter of time, those orders were extended to one year.

“It was hard to adjust to living over there,” Joseph said. “It was hard being confined. You can’t get in your vehicle when you want or eat when you want. Four months into it we somewhat had to adjust. We made doors for the tents, VCRs and TVs. The longer we got into it, the better things got as far as living conditions. I missed my mom and sisters the most.”

Joseph has many memories that he would rather not discuss, but his fondest memory is something that he will certainly not forget.

“When we used to go on missions, they would give us cases of bottled water that were so hot. It was unbearable to drink. We would wet the bottle, put it in a sock, and then hang it outside of the truck on the mirror. [The water] would be ice cold by the time we got to wherever we were going.”

That is not the only thing Joseph remembers. “I remember the camaraderie and how we came together like a family.”

Joseph has big plans for the future. “After graduation I want to move to Atlanta or Washington D.C. and become an engineer. The Army was a good experience, but it’s not something I would want to do again. It has its ups and downs.