by Simon Yates Simon Yates is a first-year PPCC student who also attends Palmer Ridge High School. He will be enlisted as a Marine within the Delayed Entry Program and ships out next year. Other than playing with his family’s …
Operation Desert Storm: A View from Inside China
by Carol Forseth, English Faculty August 1990: Iraqi forces invade Kuwait. Iraq annexes Kuwait. The United Nations Security Council and the Arab League condemn the actions. Operation Desert Shield begins. Iraqi closes all borders. I move to Nanchang, China, to …
Lonely Spaces
by Jeff Joles, Associate Dean of Mathematics Jeff Joles is a veteran of the United States Army where he served from 1985 to 2006. He had a variety of communications, teaching, and operations research assignments at locations in the U.S., …
Success is Failure
by Zack Swann My name is Zack Swann, I come from a long line of military in my family; my dad, both brothers, both grandfathers, and two uncles all have served. I decided to go a different route and get …
Stay-at-Home Mothers: The Luxury & Challenges
by Jazmin Abreu My name is Jazmin Abreu. I was born in Brooklyn, New York. I am a mother to three girls, 11, 9, and 7, and I have a golden retriever dog that’s one year old. I became a …
My Family History in the Military
by Zeke Wood For generations, my family has been involved in the military. The most famous in the family was my great grandpa, Charles “Chuck” Byron Wood. He was in the Air Force during and after World War II. During …
One Wrong Turn
by Jennifer Valk, PPCC English Instructor Jennifer Valk is an English instructor at PPCC. She served on active duty as a combat medical specialist from 1998-2005 t in Fort Hood, TX, and then at Madigan Army Medical Center in Fort Lewis, …
Thanksgiving at a Missile Silo in the Middle of Montana
by Carrie Spencer, PPCC History Faculty I must have been really young and naïve to think taking two small boys out to a missile silo in the middle of Montana for Thanksgiving dinner was a good idea. It was already …
The Things He Carries: An Interview with PPCC ME Dean Joe Southcott
by Dana Zimbleman In late October, I sat down with PPCC Math and English Dean and retired Army Colonel Joseph Southcott, who discussed his military service and why he carries 16 names with him every single day. DZ: The first …
The Bayonet: A Family Military History Journey
by Angelo DeCecco with contributions from Paul DeCecco All families share stories which are intriguing, perhaps true but always alluring, about their shared past. One family story that intrigued me as a boy was of my two grandfathers who were …