CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE Q-WEST, Iraq - Despite being far from a university classroom, Soldiers of the 395th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion place a priority on furthering their academic studies.
With the help of tuition assistance and online access, Soldiers can continue their academic careers throughout deployment. And that is the choice several studious Soldiers from the 395th have made - after all, the early bird catches the worm!
The majority of the students in the 395th are pursuing degrees from a university located in Waterbury, Conn., close to the unit's reserve center in New Haven, Conn.
"It's very strenuous, but in the long run it's for my personal development," said Spc. Ransome Cuffy of his online academic endeavors. Cuffy, a New Haven, native, is pursuing a degree in business administration.
Both Spc. Lydia Vidzro, a human resource management major from Conn., and Cuffy agree that studying in a classroom would be easier and more ideal, but with the support of each other and their fellow student-Soldiers they continue to hit the textbooks after hours and dedicate free time to their academic enrichment.
"Right now it's like serving two masters at one time ... it takes a lot of discipline, self-discipline," Cuffy said.
Though it can be a challenge to juggle work and school many 395th Soldiers have accepted this challenge, knowing that their efforts toward self-improvement will be a reward in and of itself in the years to come after deployment.
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