For 11 months in 2006 and 2007, 1st Lt. Fred Nicholson planned thousands of trips in Iraq for a team of U.S. State Department and military officials attempting to teach Iraqis the principles of democracy.
On a daily basis, Nicholson — who lives on the banks of the beautiful Crystal River near Redstone — would be part of the dangerous trips into the middle of Tikrit, Saddam Hussein’s hometown and the former home of many of Hussein’s elite Republican Guards.
Nicholson, a 45-year-old Army veteran, was a member of the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRTs). He and other team members met with local residents and provincial leaders, and acted as middlemen between the U.S. military and the Iraqis. “We tried to help them set up a democratic system,” Nicholson recalled. “Our primary mission was training and advising them.”
The PRT members encouraged Iraqi leaders to determine the types of projects they needed the most, such as water and school systems. The Iraqis would then prioritize those needs and voted on them before taking them to the government in Baghdad for action. Nicholson planned 5,000 trips in Tikrit and nearby towns and was awarded the Bronze Star for his efforts.
But while he was teaching Iraqis about democracy, Nicholson felt that the treatment he received from his own government was appalling.
In 2005, when the Army was looking for officers to go to Iraq to fill the PRT positions, it came knocking on Nicholson’s door. He had been a bright star in his years in the Army, first enlisting in the military at age 24 in 1986. He was so outstanding that he was given a chance to go through officer candidate school and was commissioned in 1992.
But in 2000, after 14 years, Nicholson — then a first lieutenant — was told he was no longer needed. He was told the reason was because he lacked the college degree he needed to remain an officer and be promoted to captain. He had two years of college but had not completed four years and obtained a bachelor’s degree.
The abrupt departure saddened Nicholson. But he returned to his home on the Crystal River near Redstone and started a construction business.
Five years later, he was enticed back into the Army with a promise that if he served a tour in Iraq and asked for an education waiver the Army would promote him to captain in November 2005.
The deal was especially attractive because it meant that if Nicholson remained in the military five more years he could obtain a reserve retirement of $2,000 to $2,500 a month.
Nicholson asked for the waiver which would give him additional time to fulfill his educational requirement.
But earlier this year, Nicholson was informed that his educational waiver was being denied and he’d be discharged on completing his Iraqi deployment.
“I was angry,” Nicholson recalled. “If I’m not good enough to be in the Army, I’m not good enough to go to Iraq.
“I never expected the Army to be democratic. But it crossed my mind that while we were trying to teach the Iraqis to do the right thing, the Army wasn’t doing the right thing to me.
“They said, ‘You are mobilized and when you get back we are going to kick you out’.”
Nicholson’s plight attracted the notice of sympathetic senior commanders in Iraq and journalists. The Wall Street Journal wrote a piece on him on April 5.
In the past few weeks, Nicholson’s fortunes have changed, four months after he returned to Colorado.
DeVry University — which heard about Nicholson’s plight — awarded him a full scholarship. It was presented to him by Cecil Horst, president of DeVry University Colorado, on Aug. 11.
Daniel Hamburger, the national president of DeVry University, saw the Wall Street Journal article and called Horst in Denver, said Devan Barrett, the marketing manager for DeVry University Colorado.
“He told Mr. Horst to get a hold of Nicholson because he felt what the Army was doing to him was completely unfair,” Barrett said. “Cecil contacted him and he was ecstatic and said ‘Yes! Yes!” to scholarship offer, Barrett said.
“Mr. Nicholson is more than thrilled. It has ensured his future because he is now going to be able to receive his pension from the military,” Barrett added.
Recently Nicholson was told by the Army that it has reconsidered its position. He will likely be granted an education waiver this November on condition he completes his degree in the next two years.
Nicholson, whose residential contracting business is located in Carbondale, said he will obtain a degree that can help him.
“Being a business owner, I will probably get a degree in business administration,” he said.
He is also very happy that DeVry is giving him the scholarship — which will save him about $58,000.
“If it weren’t for the DeVry University scholarship,” Nicholson said, “I would not be in the position to complete my degree, which means I would never receive my military pension.”
Les Nicholson, Fred’s older brother, is happy for his sibling.
“I think he is a good guy,” Les Nicholson said. “I think he is a good soldier. He loves the military.”
Staff writer Howard Pankratz can be reached at 303-954-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com.
