Q&A: Graduate student goes for masters after serving in Iraq

Levi Bollinger is a teacher, student, poet, donator and veteran. The Jackson, Mo., native is studying for his Master of Arts in English at Southeast Missouri State University when he isn't teaching high school English at Oak Ridge High School. Bollinger served a year-long tour of duty in Iraq in 2003 and now uses that experience as material for his poetry. He will be featured at the St. Louis Humanities Festival on April 13 and in Southeast professor Dr. Swartwout's anthology of creative work done by veterans.

Q: How did you begin writing poetry?

A: To be honest, I haven't written a whole lot of poetry. I'm taking a creative writing course this spring, and the first poem that I submitted to the class there was one about my experiences in the war in Iraq and the class liked it and, Dr. Swartwout, she encouraged me to submit it to some other publications.

She's actually the editor for an anthology that's being published by veterans and she recommended me to this humanities festival in St. Louis. And they invited me to present a couple poems up there and that's what I'll do. But other than that it's not like I have a full-time writing program or exhaustive regime of writing.

Just a happy circumstance I guess that got the poem noticed.

Q: What is the poem that you will read at the St. Louis Humanities Festival about?

A: The one I submitted that Dr. Swartwout passed on, it was about [how] we used to sit up at night in Iraq in lawn chairs, and there was a logistical base nearby and it was attacked pretty frequently by mortars. And we could sit there in relative safety and hear the mortars exploding and just imagine what was going on over there with everyone else. We'd just sit around and talk and could just imagine what was happening for everyone else.

Q: How long were you in the military?

A: I was in the Army Reserves when I was going to college for my undergrad. And in 2003, I guess it was February, I was mobilized to active duty and I spent a couple months mobilizing in the states with the unit, and then I was sent overseas in May. Spent a month or so in Kuwait and then it was on to the Baghdad Airport where I spent the next year or so. I came back in May 2004.

Q: What did you experience in Iraq?

A: Well mostly I saw the Baghdad Airport. Our unit was an engineer battalion, and we were responsible for building a lot of structures on the base itself. So we had electricians and plumbers and carpenters and earthmovers and things like that so we were pretty much getting the facilities in place for the troops to stay there for a longer time. Some of the big camps that are around Baghdad Airport now are some of the ones we worked on while we were there.

Q: You are also involved with the Operation Christmas Child program through your church. Can you tell me more about that?

A: Operation Christmas Child is a remarkable program. It's through Samaritan's Purse, which is a Christian organization, and every year we collect shoeboxes full of gifts --everything from hygiene supplies to school items to stuffed animals -- and we send those around the world to children who are less fortunate than here in the states.

It's been a growing program ever since they started. Last year they sent over 8.5 million shoeboxes to over 90 countries around the world. It has a tremendous impact. A lot of the kids who receive these boxes really would have no means to go to school if it weren't for the school supplies they get. They have very few opportunities. And so it's a wonderful program that my wife and I are very blessed to be a part of.

Actually, the past few years have been very special because my wife Andy is in the states now, and she is from Romania.

She used to receive these shoeboxes when she was a little girl in Romania. And now that she's here in the states and she found out that our church is involved with the program she's been very excited to be a part of that.