Former UW-Eau Claire student Scott Wohlrab is getting married June 7 – or sooner.

Wohlrab, who now attends Chippewa Valley Technical College, and his fiancee, Towers Associate Hall Director Nicole Fosse, know their wedding date could arrive sooner than expected.

Wohlrab is a member of the Army National Guard, and he knows he has to be ready for anything.

If Wohlrab is called to active duty related to the conflict in Iraq, he and Fosse will tie the knot before he leaves for training.

As a member of the guard, Wohlrab could be called to the Iraq conflict or to replace troops who have gone to the Middle East, for example in Germany, he said.

He would have to leave as soon as two to five days after receiving notification.

Wohlrab’s unit is in a process of transition in terms of its main objectives, so he doesn’t think it’s likely he’ll be called up.

But he’s preparing just in case.

There’s no way to predict which units will be called up at any given time, said Jim Lowe, supervisory staff administrator at Eau Claire’s 397th Engineer Battalion.

Individual troops or units are notified by Federal Express, and then spend a few weeks in training before being shipped abroad, Lowe said. This includes a thorough check of soldiers’ records to make sure they are qualified and healthy, he said.

Director of housing Chuck Major is familiar with the process. Major, a retired Army colonel, was a battalion commander during Operation Desert Storm. His battalion was called up in November 1990.

At the time, Major said, the United States was still pursuing a diplomatic solution to the escalating conflict.

“We were preparing for the worst, but hoping nothing would ever happen,” Major said. “You’re kind of hoping for the best all along.”

Major served approximately 10 months in Iraq and Saudi Arabia before returning to the United States.

The hardest part about being called up, he said, was leaving his wife and two young sons.

Wohlrab can relate. He has two children, ages six and seven, from his first marriage. Leaving them would be difficult, he said.

He also has his education to think about. He plans to graduate from CVTC in May 2004, but being called to duty would delay those plans.

He would, however, be able to pick up where he left off academically upon his return.

UW-Eau Claire has a similar policy for students who are called to active military duty, Associate Dean of Students Mary Ryan-Miller said.

The university will hold a student’s place for as long as he or she is on military-related academic leave, she said. Non-military academic leave is limited to one semester.

Members of Wohlrab’s brigade have already volunteered for homeland security duties, including operations at airports in Milwaukee and Madison, he said.

It’s difficult not knowing when he could be called up, Wohlrab said.

“I would say that physically, I’m prepared, but mentally, not so much,” he said. “[If called up] I would rather not go. But I will go, because that’s why I joined the military – to protect my country.”