Student Marine returns to campus after service in Iraq

Sarah DeBarberie, ’10, gave up the every day life of a Saint Joseph's student to enlist in the Marines. 

While she has a great sense of determination and fearlessness, “DeBarb,” as many have come to know her, has a whole different side to her. 

When she is not in Iraq looking for improvised explosive devices (IED), she is here at St. Joe's, playing rugby and studying hard to graduate. 

Q: What made you decide to join the Marines?

A: I wanted to do something different that was also challenging. I also felt that I have been given so much throughout my life, and I wanted to give something back and ensure that other people can enjoy all the same privileges and opportunities.

Q: What was your role in Iraq?

A: My MOS [Military Occupational Specialty] is a radio operator. This deployment, I was attached to my unit’s Route Clearance Team (RCT), so the other radio operator and myself were responsible for the various forms of communication the RCT used. We taught the other Marines how to use the communications gear, and set up and maintained the gear as well. While on missions I would talk to our air support via radio, who would help us out by scanning the route ahead of us and reporting any suspicious activity before we reached it. Our mission was to go out on patrols at night to essentially look for any hazards, such as IEDs and eliminate them before other larger convoys drove through. We also wanted to create a presence that would deter the [placement] of IEDs in order to keep the roads safe for military as well as civilian traffic.

Q: How is it being a student and a soldier?

A: It has its good days and its bad. The discipline I have learned from the Marines has helped me immensely as a student. And two deployments have really made me appreciate being able to attend college, which motivates me even more in school. It definitely gives you a different and unique perspective on things, which for the most part provides for a positive experience, but on occasion it can make you feel a little separated and detached from your fellow students.

Q: Has St. Joe’s prepared you for your experiences over there?

A: Nothing can really prepare you for something like that. Your training can only go so far because life over there is constantly evolving.

Q: What’s one thing you didn’t expect to encounter over there?

A: Having been over there once before, I had a pretty good idea of what things were going to be like. I went to the exact same base and lived in the same area, so few things were new to me. I think many of us went over there expecting anything and everything...most of which did not even end up happening.... So, there really was not a whole lot that I did not expect to encounter.

Q: Is it hard to transition between the different worlds?

A: Yes, it oftentimes is. The culture of the Marine Corps and the culture of the “civilian world” are very different. We have our own way of doing things, our own way of talking, our own rules on what is acceptable and unacceptable behavior. So, sometimes I find myself doing a lot of role-switching, which is not always an easy thing to do. It takes time and patience from yourself as well as those around you to learn how to more easily make the transition.

Q: What about graduation?  What do you want to do after?

A: I am hoping to finish all of my classes and graduate by December, then I am hoping to start a career in law enforcement, preferably in the Philadelphia area.

Q: Did the experience change you at all?

A: Absolutely. Sometimes those changes take the form of weird little habits you pick up and just can’t seem to shake when you get back, and some of them are more internal. My personality has definitely evolved since joining the Marine Corps, and I approach some situations much differently than I used to. The simple fact of meeting so many different people, and experiencing something that 98 percent of Americans will never experience definitely has its effect on you.