Kevin Spritzer, history teacher, was the guest speaker for Professional Careers Academy (PCA) lecture on Nov. 12. Spritzer has been teaching history here for 20 years.

In 1998, Spritzer joined the U.S. Navy Reserve (USNR). They were “trained to do all construction projects under hostile conditions, and also to pick up a rifle if needed,” Spritzer said. He had a commitment with them from 1998-2006, was always on call, and two weeks a year did training scenarios.

They used containers as well as timber to build bomber shelters. One time they found a dead camel spider and “scared everyone around the compound with it,” Spritzer said.

He talked about how they had to pack everything they could in a cargo bag, and then they would get a small bag and rifle. They would wait in a theatre, until their commanding officer (CO) came in and told them to go.

They traveled quite a bit. One time when he was boarding a plane,“ they checked our bag for nail cutters when we have rifles in our hands,” Spritzer said. Another time they “saw two flag-covered coffins and realized the seriousness of the situation.”

They saw sunsets and sunrises, played cards and chess, and read poetry once a week for two months for fun. They “got pizza once which was a big deal,” Spritzer said. They saw dogs running through the compound a lot, and it was much like school cafeteria where they ate.

“It’s cool to know the military has every single type of person,” Natasha Arnold, junior, said.

Kim Wahaus, PCA social science dean, said she was “honored” that Spritzer spoke because he helped students realize that veterns come from many backgrounds and that teachers “have lives outside of South”