Only approved journalist for college newspaper hits Kuwait by Jeff Rowe The Orange County Register While his classmates at California State University, Fullerton, are scoping out sunny locations for spring break, Ronald Paul Larson arrived Monday in a very warm place. Kuwait. It's nice this time of year in the desert kingdom well, except for the severe sandstorms, such as the one that recently blew down 17 U.S. Army tents. Grilling, 120-degree heat is just a few weeks away. Nary a river nor a lake interrupts the country's flat car pet of sand. So why did Larson spend $1,403 for a round-trip airline ticket to Kuwait City? He wants to cover a war. Kuwait is the staging area for much of the U.S. mili tary buildup in the Persian Gulf. Tens of thousands of U.S. soldiers set up camp there, poised to attack Iraq. Larson's decision to practice journalism halfway around the globe came as he neared the end of course work for a master's degree in history. The studied pace of a college professor, his goal when he enrolled at Cal State Fullerton, has been re placed by a new aspiration correspondent. At 39, he's older than most of the other staff at the Daily Ti tan, but he's perhaps the most driven. Besides the airfare, he reached into his own wallet for a satellite telephone rental ($lB5 a month, $l.BO per minute), antenna, transmission data kit, adapter and batteries ($308) flak vest ($130) and a used Kevlar helmet ($B5). The helmet's tOrmer owner apparently was "Prewitt." That's the name printed on the inside. Pay will be a hearty thanks from the Daily Titan and perhaps two credits for "independent study." After he has sent his dispatches to the Daily Titan, the paper will make them available to college newspapers around the nation. He also will be writing for the Kenosha (Wis.) News, his hometown newspaper; Red Eye, a newspaper for young people in Chicago; and The Orange County Register. Each of those papers will pay him a piece rate for his work. At best, Larson probably will earn indy's Fly in for A Spell!! •Call 899-3473 •Tues-Sat 10-6 •Call to schedule an appointment with, Psychic Natalie Smith Blakeslee from Star 104. •Tarot readings from Lady Legacy Candles, oils, incense, books, crystals, and more! 899-3473 enough to pay for his trip and equipment. Unless the final diplomatic forays succeed, Larson is unlikely to be in Kuwait very long. He is traveling with an Army unit pressing into Iraq soon after U.S. bombers hit targets in and around Baghdad. Larson frets less about his safety than possible tech nological problems with his laptop computer, satellite telephone, video camera and 35mm still camera. Should the improbable happen, though, and all that equipment fails, Larson may be able to entertain the troops. In high school, he tap-danced a number in his school's production of "No, No, Nanette." When he was told earlier this month that the De fense Department had accepted his application to cover the Middle East buildup, Larson said he was excited but also nervous that he might be getting in over his head. "I still feel that way," he said before leaving His parents and older sister, all back in Kenosha, where he grew up, are "worried, nervous and excited" about his trip, he said. His editor and the Titan faculty adviser are confi dent. "It's a great opportunity for Ron and the Daily Ti tan," said Professor Tom Clanin, the paper's faculty adviser. "He's going to focus on profiles and person alities -- he will put a human face on the war." And he has seen combat. After completing his Army service mostly guard ing weapons in Germany, Larson journeyed to Afghani stan and spent a month taking pictures of Mujahedeen soldiers fighting the Soviet army. Larson wonders whether he will be deep in Iraq a month from now. He will he eating, sleeping and trav eling with the unit he is attached to, a radical departure from the access allowed journalists in previous con flicts. His role model is Ernie Pyle, the famed World War II correspondent who focused on the ordinary soldier's life. He says he "questions the wisdom" of the U.S. attack on Iraq, "but as far as my job, I'm apolitical." "My job will be to explain what life is like for these soldiers," he said. "I just hope my equipment will not break, and I will do a good job." Eve The Harborcreek Mini Mall 6909 Buffalo Rd Harborcreek, PA s •:,, " • Nll ik . „.. ......... ... ........,...:.,.,..:...:,...:. vicmoat Friday, March 21, 2003 Of Moon Open ATTENTION SENIORS y r _ SENIOR SALUTE DAYS WHEN: MONDAY, MARCH 31-- -10 AM - 6PM TUESDAY, APRIL 1- --9 AM - 3PM WHERE: REED WINTER&ARbEN (FOR MORE INFO-STOP BY THE BOOKSTORE) Still Betting You'll Find A Better Deal On An Apartment ? It Doesn't Get Better Than This !!! 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