Leslie Anne Wertz, a member of Sweet Briar College’s Class of 2010, is on a leave of absence for the 2008-2009 academic year because her Virginia National Guard unit was mobilized.

The 20-year-old Cartersville, Va., resident is currently training in Missouri and will be deployed to Afghanistan with her unit in February. She recently took time to answer some questions posed by Sweet Briar’s college relations office:

Leslie WertzWhen did you join the Virginia National Guard, and why?
I joined the National Guard in February 2006. I had always thought of joining the military, but I didn’t want to take four years out of my life for it, so the National Guard seemed like a good choice for me — and they help pay for college.

Do you have other family members that are in the Guard? Is there a tradition of military service in your family?
My grandfather was an aviation mechanic in the Navy and a boxer. I have two great uncles that served in the Army and Navy and Secret Service. I also have three cousins that served in the Navy.

When did you find out your unit was being mobilized? What was your reaction?
My unit first found out that it was going to be mobilized last January [2008].

Well, I wasn’t really concerned with it because there was a good chance that we weren’t going to be deployed, but the possibility was still in the back of my mind that we could go. I was OK with going and I was really OK if I wasn’t going. Now, after learning more and more about the area that I’m going to, I’m a little nervous because the [forward operating base] where I will be staying is pretty hostile at times.

What is your unit called?
My unit is FSC 276th Engineer Battalion.

What is your job in the Guard?
I am a 63B which is an all-wheel vehicle mechanic. If it has wheels, I fix it. For this deployment, I will be assisting as an automated logistic specialist, so I will be responsible for maintaining records of services performed, ordering and managing repair parts, dispatching vehicles and equipment, and maintaining operator licensing records.

What is your rank?
My current rank is specialist. Hopefully, it will be higher when I get back.

What is your major/minor at Sweet Briar?
I am majoring in environmental studies and minoring in archaeology, but since I am getting deployed, I am going to do a double major with biology also.

What are you doing to prepare for deployment? What’s a typical day like?
I am now at Camp Shelby, Mo. We have been here since the first of December. The days here can vary greatly. Some days can go until after dark with training, but since we completed a large portion of training at Ft. Pickett [in Virginia], some days are very lax.

Our training includes learning about radio communication, rifle marksmanship, urban warfare, vehicle driving and operation, recovering vehicles. Well, it’s a lot.

How many people are in your unit? How many women?
We have approximately 100 people in our company. We have 15 females in our company and around 40 females for the whole battalion. Eventually we will have four other combat engineer (AKA Sapper) companies from other states that will join our battalion so we will have about 600 people ... and the other four companies are all males.

For how long will you be deployed? Is this your first deployment in the Guard?
This deployment will be my first. There really is no set time that I know of that says how long we will be in country, but I think that it will be about 10 months.

What will your unit do in Afghanistan?
When we get to Afghanistan we will support the other units in every way possible. We will mostly support them with vehicle and equipment maintenance. The Sapper companies will conduct route clearance where they will search for IEDs and roadside bombs. They will also pick up construction projects that the current units have not completed.

Have you ever traveled abroad?
[I’ve] never traveled abroad.

How is it, being a “Sweet Briar girl” and a soldier? The two worlds might seem incompatible to some people — pearls vs. camouflage — but are they?
Being a Sweet Briar girl and a soldier are pretty much complete opposites. Sweet Briar is peaceful in its secluded pink bubble. You know that you are safe while you are at Sweet Briar. You have the choice to wear what you want, do what you want, go where you please when you want ... freedom in short.

Now, the Army has me going half way round the world to experience a unique culture. The place that I will be located at while in Afghanistan can be a very hostile and is one of the most dangerous that our battalion will be located in. Here, you only have two different authorized uniforms; you can’t go anywhere outside the wire without authorization. Life will be pretty restricted for the next few months.

Are there any fears or concerns at this point about your upcoming deployment, and if so, how are you dealing with them?
I guess that I should have a lot of concerns about going overseas. Of course, I’m worried that I could become injured or that I might not make it home, but I put a lot of trust in the people that I’m going with so that they will help to keep me safe.

I always worry about the people that I’m leaving at home. I worry that something will happen to them while I am gone and I will not be there to help. I try to keep in contact with friends and family as much as possible so that I know everything will be OK.

Do you plan to return to Sweet Briar after your service to finish up your college degree?
Of course I plan to return to Sweet Briar when I return to the States. I can’t wait to get back. I missed being there when classes started and I wasn’t there.

Is there anything — physical item, educational or otherwise — that you took with you from Sweet Briar that will help as you serve overseas?
I think that the most important things that I will take with me [to] Afghanistan are the friendships that I have formed. After being away from home for a while … keeping in contact with friends and family are extremely important to help keep morale up.

If you’d like to correspond with Wertz, she can be reached at the following e-mail addresses: leslie.wertz@us.army.mil or wertz10@sbc.edu.