Help a Disabled Veteran

I lost myself, and my remaining innocence, in Iraq.

 

I joined the U.S. Army to avoid the urban trappings ensnared by many of my peers. So, there I was — a 20-year-old kid from the Jordan Downs Housing Projects in Watts, California — sitting in the sweltering 80-degree Iraqi heat at 2 a.m.

 

Under those dim stars, I sat on the edge of my cot on the vast desert plains in southern Iraq, soaked with blood and the stench of death -- bewildered by a battle that had transpired. I wondered, "How will my story end in the face of so much loss?" I did not know the answer then; however, I knew that I did not want it to end with my own blood leaking onto the neighborhood streets of Kadhimiya, Baghdad. I knew I had to make it back home and to do so, I had to will my mind to resist, despite the daily atrocities I witnessed.

 

What sustained me most during those 14 months of an often-horrifying deployment was viewing sports. I watched as it unified, encouraged, and invigorated the most depressed soldiers. Sports journalism carried us through some of our most harrowing experiences abroad. Now, I would like to earn my master's degree to invigorate others in the same way: heal, draw inspiration, and tell stories of perseverance through the games we love.

 

Athletes represent the best of what makes us human. When people congregate to watch athletes strive for excellence, they help us create indelible memories with family, friends, and, at times, complete strangers.

 

Increasingly, athletes make us think too. While some journalists, like Laura Ingraham, want sports figures to "shut up and dribble," I am fascinated by the competitor who risks it all to champion causes they deem material. Moreover, Black athletes rarely have sports journalists from their communities that identify with their cultural, racial, and class struggles. Seeing narratives that, at times, may not reflect the realities of the athletes they portray has compelled me to tell these nuanced stories.

 

I am naturally curious and drawn to how disparate parts of our civilization clash, intersect, and why things occur. I want to write stories about how sports push society forward.

 

I am a 100% service-connected disabled veteran, and I have been accepted to the Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism at the University of Southern California. Due to my disability status, I do not qualify for Federal student loans. I am on a fixed income, and I need help funding my education. The VA has me in a holding pattern, and it is not guaranteed that they will assist me. I am waiting to hear back from the several hundred scholarship applications I have submitted.

 

What I am asking from you is simply one dollar or whatever you decide to give. I have been awarded enough scholarships to pay for summer classes. I am asking for assistance with tuition for the Fall and Spring semesters and books. I understand times are difficult for us all, so if you cannot donate, I ask that you share this with your network.

 

Thank you for your consideration.

 

Eric Lambkins II