Colleagues and students know Don Tallman, the housing coordinator for Residential Life, for the reserved and measured way he deals with the occasional chaos that goes with getting 2,000 students settled into their rooms.
So, most are more than a little surprised to learn that he is also, by his own admission, one of the loudest drill sergeants in the U.S.Army.
“Most people tell me, “You’re so laid back. I can’t see you yelling,’” he said. “But when I put that hat on, I’m a different person.”
That different person, an Army reservist, has been called to serve in Afghanistan. Starting Dec. 5, he will join the 95th Division Reserve Unit in Oklahoma and Kansas for a month of training. Then he will deploy to a base near Kabul, Afghanistan, to train Afghani soldiers — through interpreters — to become drill instructors. New classes will rotate through the facility every four or five weeks during his 400-day assignment, he said.
Friends gathered recently at a reception to wish him well. They also signed up for a list serve through which colleagues in Residential Life will keep the campus updated on Tallman and share a wish list of personal items for members of his unit. RAs have volunteered to help Tallman’s wife, Sharon, by bringing their two children, Kaleb, 9, and Gabriella, 5, to games and campus events, according to Todd Clark, director of Residential Life.
“We want to help the family and to give Don some peace of mind while he is serving,” said Clark.
Tallman says he looks forward to keeping in touch with family and friends though the internet in Afghanistan can be spotty.
Tallman has been at Union for eight years, the first five in Campus Safety, one in ITS, and the last two in Residential Life. He has served a total of 13 years in the military, eight years with the Marines – including two as a drill instructor, one in the National Guard, and the last four as a drill sergeant in the Army.
So, how does a drill sergeant plan to return to life as housing coordinator and family man? “As soon as I’m done, I’m back to myself,” he said. “Once I take that hat off, I’m me again.”
To sign up for the list serve, email housing@union.edu.