Midn. 4⁄C Laura Ramsey passes out pens at a security checkpoint in Al Anbar Province, Iraq, when she deployed as a Corporal in the Marine Corps. Ramsey advanced to the rank of Sergeant before reporting to the Naval Academy. Photo courtesy of Midn. 4⁄C Laura Ramsey.

This was the scene at ‘‘Forward Deployed: Priors Remembering War” in Mahan Hall on March 4. The program presented monologues from prior enlisted Midshipmen who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The idea came from professors in the Academy’s English department. Professor Allyson Booth and Associate Professor John Beckman knew some of their prior enlisted Midshipmen had experienced combat, and wanted to provide them a forum in which to share their experiences with their classmates. Booth and Beckman organized the effort, and Dr. Christy Stanlake directed the production.

‘‘We just wanted to give these priors the floor, since so many Midshipmen have been deployed. We couldn’t have predicted all of things they had to teach us, about interacting with Iraqis, about gender issues, and of course about the personal effects of combat,” said Beckman. ‘‘It made a lot of people curious to find out more, and that alone says it was successful.”

The cast included prior Marine Corps Corporals Midn. 3⁄C Daniel McCawley, Midn. 3⁄C Eli Morales, and Midn. 4⁄C Laura Ramsey, each of whom read their own monologues. Midn. 1⁄C David Smestuen and Midn. 4⁄C Benjamin Ball rounded out the cast, reading pieces by anonymous contributors.

‘‘I decided to share my stories because I felt this was a good way for me to share a part of me and the experiences I have been through,” said Midn. 3⁄C Steven Sifuentes, a former Corporal in the Marine Corps who served in Iraq. ‘‘In terms of what I think this event has to offer the Brigade, it’s very simply a look at what some of their peers have experienced. It provides...an understanding of where we come from and why [we may act or think the] way we do. It also gives a glimpse of an environment that many will soon find themselves in.”

Stories like Sifuentes’ focused vividly on the intense, high-pressure experiences of combat, where things don’t always go as planned and decisions must be made in a split second.

‘‘All of the sudden the sky, like a rain storm, was filled with bullets zipping into the side of the truck creating noise and chaos,” read one monologue. ‘‘Before I or anybody else could act, our driver slammed on the brakes and everyone in the back became one ball of rifles and men. It was in that ball that I began to panic as our gunner screamed at us to get off of him.”

Others, like Ramsey’s, provided a more emotional point of view.

‘‘I never wore bright red nail polish back home, but I sure wore it in the sandbox,” read one of her monologues. ‘‘It was such a glorious contrast to the dull neutral colors that suffocated me daily. This ritual acted as a weekly reminder that I didn’t have to be dead to my female side.”

Ramsey’s other stories gave insight into aspects of her time in Iraq, from restricted running attire even in the sweltering desert heat, to seeing firsthand the bleak situation of Iraqi women.

‘‘I think it is very appropriate to share our various experiences about Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom with our classmates. Honestly, it was a just good release to talk about it in front of everyone,” said Ramsey. ‘‘I shared a few humorous stories and then some that emphasized my role as a female Marine. I hope I gave the audience just one more perspective to keep in mind. Bottom line, I think your experience over there is coupled with what you make of it and take from it.”

The evening concluded with the somber darkness lifting and the performers receiving a standing ovation from the crowd.

‘‘I felt truly honored to be involved in this program. The priors who told their stories were extraordinarily generous with their time, their talents, their mature perspectives. It took a lot of courage to be so honest,” said Beckman.