| University Police acting Sgt. Eric Gambill will leave for Iraq for a year |
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| Written by Abigail Howlett | |||||
| Tuesday, 29 July 2008 09:02 PM | |||||
  Acting Sgt. Eric Gambill of the University police dept will be shipping out to Iraq in August with the National Guard. Gambill will be leaving behind his wife and two young daughters. (The Shorthorn: Michael Rettig) Leaving friends and family behind, one university police officer will embark on something he promised to do eight years ago if asked. Part of the Oklahoma Army National Guard, university acting Sgt. Eric Gambill will ship out to Iraq in August. Gambill joined the army eight years ago. His unit has been on alert since the war started but has never deployed. He said that while he has mixed feelings about going, he is excited to ship out with his unit. “It is a bittersweet thing,” he said. “I have been in the army for a while now, and I haven’t been sent out to help. It is nice to be able to go with my guys. Most of them I have grown up with or they were the fathers or brothers of guys I have grown up with.” Gambill will leave his stay-at-home wife and two daughters — one is 6 years old, and the other is 22 months old. “It’s tough,” he said. “The youngest is really a daddy’s girl, and I am really a family person.” Gambill’s wife Jenny said she is concerned and worried but believes everything will be fine. “I trust in his ability to bring himself home,” Jenny Gambill said. “He was trained to keep himself safe.” She said they told her oldest daughter that he will be doing the job he does now in Iraq and that she will still get to talk to him “We have always been kind of prepared for it, but it has been in the back of our minds because we have lived the civilian life for so long,” she said. She also said she has a great support system with family in the area, and she is part of a group called Wives Behind The Badge, an online support group for police wives. “I joined last year, and the minute I joined I was completely overwhelmed with welcomes,” she said. “Through this they have been a tremendous support system for me and Eric.” Gambill originally enlisted to be in field artillery but was trained last fall to be a petroleum supply specialist. “That is not my choice,” Gambill said. “The Army tends to send you over to do different jobs than what you are trained for. They consider soldiers to be flexible.” Assistant Police Chief Rick Gomez has known Gambill for the two years Gomez has worked with the police department. “We are all going to miss him because he has been doing such an excellent job for us,” Gomez said. “We did mention to him that if his wife ever had any problems or needs any help with any thing to give us a call so we can help her out.” An excellent marksman, Gambill was a member of the police department’s shooting team and helped take third place overall at the last competition, Gomez said. Gambill was promoted to acting sergeant because of the promise he showed with his workplace habits. “I think when you are in a military unit, it builds a lot of teamwork,” Gomez said. “He is just a natural leader, and all that comes across when you work with him.” Views: 3027 | E-mail
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| Last Updated ( Wednesday, 24 September 2008 03:39 PM ) | |||||
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