Designs of Duty  tells the stories of seven military veterans who served our country over a 45-year period throughout Asia and Europe. Veterans featured in the exhibit are Eric Hiltner and Wilson Reynolds of Charleston, Ken Fernandes of Newman, Random Clavin of Nokomis, Adam Griffy of Olney, Shane Wright of Shelbyville and Lyle Gordon of Towanda.
Tattoos are a common symbol among the military, and this exhibit aims to explore the inspiration and meanings behind them, as well as the stories of the veterans themselves. Pride, patriotism and honor are common themes in the artwork chosen by the veterans showcased in  Designs of Duty.https://thekeep.eiu.edu/lib_exhibits_designsofduty_panels/1001/thumbnail.jp

Gard, Brandi M

Heldebrandt, Elizabeth

English

Eastern Illinois University

Eastern Illinois UniversityThe KeepDesigns of Duty Exhibit Panels 2018 - Designs of Duty1-2018Random Clavin, Nokomis, ILElizabeth HeldebrandtEastern Illinois University, emheldebrandt@eiu.eduBrandi M. GardEastern Illinois University, bmgard@eiu.eduFollow this and additional works at: https://thekeep.eiu.edu/lib_exhibits_designsofduty_panelsPart of the Library and Information Science Commons, and the Military and Veterans StudiesCommonsThis Book is brought to you for free and open access by the 2018 - Designs of Duty at The Keep. It has been accepted for inclusion in Designs of DutyExhibit Panels by an authorized administrator of The Keep. For more information, please contact tabruns@eiu.edu.Recommended CitationHeldebrandt, Elizabeth and Gard, Brandi M., "Random Clavin, Nokomis, IL" (2018). Designs of Duty Exhibit Panels. 7.https://thekeep.eiu.edu/lib_exhibits_designsofduty_panels/7“In Iraq there was always a feeling of danger. I was luckily in areas that weren’t real bad. We had vehicles get hit with IEDs and stuff, but I was never directly in it. We mostly had eardrums get popped from the bombs going off, but luckily we didn’t have anybody get killed. But you do, you worry about it. I mean, I’m not scared of a guy standing over there pointing a gun at me. I just gotta be quicker and faster, and shoot better. But what’s behind that door that you can’t see is a bomb. I could fight a guy, but I can’t fight a bomb.”Random ClavinAge: 35Branch of Military:  U.S. ArmyRank: Sergeant E-5Dates of Service: December 2005- October 2010Deployments: South Korea, June 2006-June 2007; Iraq, August 2008-August 2009“I went into the Army because of what the terrorists did on 9/11. After seeing firsthand what they did in New York City, I decided that it was my turn to go over there and do something.”“My tattoo says ‘U.S. Army Infantry,’ and it’s got the cross rifles. A lot of the guys will get what corresponded with their jobs. My job was infantry, by choice. I knew that right from the start. I like to run, shoot and dig holes. I’m good at camping. It fit me. I didn’t want to just go and come back and say, ‘Well I worked on trucks or I did this’; I wanted to be right where the action was.“In Iraq, you know, they kidnapped. They’d want to catch you so they can torture you on TV. I told my guys, I said, ‘If you see anybody trying to drag me into a car, if you can’t save me, shoot me. Blow that car up, kill them, kill me. Don’t let me be on the Internet being cut in a thousand pieces.’ And I said, ‘I’ll do the same for you.’“On September 11th, 2001, my buddy called me right after the first plane hit the Trade Center... Then the second one hit, and a guy on the radio was looking for volunteers to go over there. I called him. We went straight to Ground Zero and was there for four days. We looked for survivors, which we didn’t find any personally.”After that experience, Clavin said he knew he wanted to join the military. “It took me a couple years to get motivated. When the U.S. invaded Iraq, I remember getting really upset that I wasn’t there.”“They took us out and dropped us off in the desert in a little Iraqi camp, and we’d run patrols out of it, basically out in the middle of nowhere. It’s pretty neat, though. We got to see the (Ziggurat) of Ur, Abraham’s home in the Bible. I’ve been to the Garden of Eden, where the Tigris and Euphrates meet. I stood there and looked at it. The Tree of Life is still alive. There’s a leaf on it.”RandomClavinNokomis, ILClavin completed basic training and AIT at Fort Benning, GA. “Sand Hill is what they call it. It goes from boot camp to worse than boot camp. But it was fun. I loved boot camp. It was the best time I’ve ever had.“My first duty station, out of the 250 people in our graduating class, I was one of two that went overseas to Camp Casey, South Korea. We trained for mountain and jungle warfare. It was just the complete opposite of what I thought. You know, the war is in Iraq and I’m over here doing this. But it was good; it was fun. I hated it while I was there but it was the best time of my life. I didn’t realize how much fun I had until I left.”Clavin, right, and his friend, Josh England, at Ground Zero during the days after the 9/11 attack in New York City.Clavin served with the 2/8 Infantry, 4th Infantry Division, Bravo Fort Carson, CO, from where he deployed to Iraq. “Our first location was called Diwaniyah in a place called FOB Echo. My job was mortarman. It was infantry; I just carried a tube. They had us training the Iraqi army how to use the mortars. And then we went to Basra. We had an element of our platoon out 24 hours a day, and there’s only 30 of us. ” “I loved it. I really did. But then I had a son and that kind of changed the way I thought about it. When I was over there before he was born, I didn’t care what happened. You know, I didn’t care if I got shot. I didn’t care if I got blew up, you just go and go and do it. And then I came home on leave when he was born, and that’s the first time in my life I’ve been homesick. I remember it made me sick, leaving. Then I started thinking twice, like, ‘Wait a minute. What is that?’ Before you wouldn’t even think; you’d just go.“But it was the best thing I ever did. I’d do it over again tomorrow. If I wasn’t getting older, I’d probably do it again anyway.”“There’s a real competitiveness in the military between jobs. With infantry, you’re the one doing the fighting, so basically we look at it as everybody else is support, which they are. I mean, you don’t go over there and win with cooks or tanks. You can win with tanks, but you still got to have guys on the ground to do the dirty work.”The Ziggurat of Ur in Iraq.U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Suzanne M. Day

Random Clavin, Nokomis, IL

The Keep

Eastern Illinois University
The Keep
Designs of Duty Exhibit Panels 2018 - Designs of Duty
1-2018
Random Clavin, Nokomis, IL
Elizabeth Heldebrandt
Eastern Illinois University, emheldebrandt@eiu.edu
Brandi M. Gard
Eastern Illinois University, bmgard@eiu.edu
Follow this and additional works at: https://thekeep.eiu.edu/lib_exhibits_designsofduty_panels
Part of the Library and Information Science Commons, and the Military and Veterans Studies
Commons
This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the 2018 - Designs of Duty at The Keep. It has been accepted for inclusion in Designs of Duty
Exhibit Panels by an authorized administrator of The Keep. For more information, please contact tabruns@eiu.edu.
Recommended Citation
Heldebrandt, Elizabeth and Gard, Brandi M., "Random Clavin, Nokomis, IL" (2018). Designs of Duty Exhibit Panels. 7.
https://thekeep.eiu.edu/lib_exhibits_designsofduty_panels/7
“In Iraq there was always a feeling 
of danger. I was luckily in areas that 
weren’t real bad. We had vehicles get 
hit with IEDs and stuff, but I was never 
directly in it. We mostly had eardrums 
get popped from the bombs going off, but 
luckily we didn’t have anybody get killed. But you 
do, you worry about it. I mean, I’m not scared of 
a guy standing over there pointing a gun at me. I 
just gotta be quicker and faster, and shoot better. 
But what’s behind that door that you can’t see is a 
bomb. I could fight a guy, but I can’t fight a bomb.”
Random Clavin
Age: 35
Branch of Military:  
U.S. Army
Rank: Sergeant E-5
Dates of Service: 
December 2005- 
October 2010
Deployments: 
South Korea, June 2006-June 2007; Iraq, 
August 2008-August 2009
“I went into the Army because of what the terrorists did 
on 9/11. After seeing firsthand what they did in New 
York City, I decided that it was my turn to go over there 
and do something.”
“My tattoo says ‘U.S. 
Army Infantry,’ and it’s 
got the cross rifles. A 
lot of the guys will get 
what corresponded with 
their jobs. My job was 
infantry, by choice. I 
knew that right from the 
start. I like to run, shoot 
and dig holes. I’m good 
at camping. It fit me. I 
didn’t want to just go and 
come back and say, ‘Well I 
worked on trucks or I did 
this’; I wanted to be right 
where the action was.
“In Iraq, you know, they 
kidnapped. They’d want to catch 
you so they can torture you on 
TV. I told my guys, I said, ‘If 
you see anybody trying to drag 
me into a car, if you can’t save 
me, shoot me. Blow that car up, 
kill them, kill me. Don’t let me 
be on the Internet being cut in a 
thousand pieces.’ And I said, ‘I’ll 
do the same for you.’
“On September 11th, 2001, my buddy 
called me right after the first plane hit the 
Trade Center... Then the second one hit, 
and a guy on the radio was looking for 
volunteers to go over there. I called him. 
We went straight to Ground Zero and was 
there for four days. We looked for survivors, 
which we didn’t find any personally.”
After that experience, Clavin said he knew 
he wanted to join the military. “It took me 
a couple years to get motivated. When the 
U.S. invaded Iraq, I remember getting really 
upset that I wasn’t there.”
“They took us out and dropped 
us off in the desert in a little 
Iraqi camp, and we’d run patrols 
out of it, basically out in the 
middle of nowhere. It’s pretty 
neat, though. We got to see the 
(Ziggurat) of Ur, Abraham’s 
home in the Bible. I’ve been to 
the Garden of Eden, where the 
Tigris and Euphrates meet. I 
stood there and looked at it. The 
Tree of Life is still alive. There’s a 
leaf on it.”
Random
Clavin
Nokomis, IL
Clavin completed basic training and AIT at Fort Benning, GA. “Sand Hill is 
what they call it. It goes from boot camp to worse than boot camp. But it was fun. 
I loved boot camp. It was the best time I’ve ever had.
“My first duty station, out of the 250 people in our graduating class, I was one of 
two that went overseas to Camp Casey, South Korea. We trained for mountain 
and jungle warfare. It was just the complete opposite of what I thought. You 
know, the war is in Iraq and I’m over here doing this. But it was good; it was fun. 
I hated it while I was there but it was the best time of my life. I didn’t realize how 
much fun I had until I left.”
Clavin, right, and his friend, Josh England, at Ground Zero during the days after the 9/11 
attack in New York City.
Clavin served with the 2/8 
Infantry, 4th Infantry Division, 
Bravo Fort Carson, CO, from 
where he deployed to Iraq. “Our 
first location was called Diwaniyah 
in a place called FOB Echo. My job 
was mortarman. It was infantry; 
I just carried a tube. They had us 
training the Iraqi army how to use 
the mortars. And then we went to 
Basra. We had an element of our 
platoon out 24 hours a day, and 
there’s only 30 of us. ” 
“I loved it. I really did. But 
then I had a son and that kind 
of changed the way I thought 
about it. When I was over 
there before he was born, I 
didn’t care what happened. 
You know, I didn’t care if I 
got shot. I didn’t care if I got 
blew up, you just go and go 
and do it. And then I came 
home on leave when he was 
born, and that’s the first time 
in my life I’ve been homesick. 
I remember it made me 
sick, leaving. Then I started 
thinking twice, like, ‘Wait a 
minute. What is that?’ Before 
you wouldn’t even think; you’d 
just go.
“But it was the best thing I 
ever did. I’d do it over again 
tomorrow. If I wasn’t getting 
older, I’d probably do it again 
anyway.”
“There’s a real 
competitiveness in the 
military between jobs. 
With infantry, you’re 
the one doing the 
fighting, so basically we 
look at it as everybody 
else is support, which 
they are. I mean, you 
don’t go over there 
and win with cooks 
or tanks. You can win 
with tanks, but you still 
got to have guys on the 
ground to do the dirty 
work.”
The Ziggurat of Ur in Iraq.
U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Suzanne M. Day


https://thekeep.eiu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1001&amp;context=lib_exhibits_designsofduty_panels

Random Clavin, Nokomis, IL

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

Eastern Illinois University

The Keep