Pursuing Truth and Defending Liberty
An Interview with Taimur Khan, ’19
Written by James Millius
Taimur Khan is a Marine Corps veteran and current student at Hillsdale College. He served two tours of duty as an air support operator, first in the Pacific, and then in Afghanistan.
You put your life on the line to defend American freedoms and principles. Why and how are those things important to you?
In Afghanistan, there was a lot of coercion and force, sort of like the mob. If they didn’t want girls going to school in a town, the Taliban could walk in and throw acid in their faces, and so on. Even more than American freedoms and principles, I was defending people—standing up for people who need standing up for—whether that’s little Afghan girls and boys who live in fear, or my best friend in the military.
What were some of the most important or memorable experiences you had during your service?
Every single day we worked eight-hour shifts. I had a communications job, so I was constantly sending messages by phone, by internet relay, by radio, talking between ground units and aircraft pilots, and my own bosses, trying to keep everyone on the same page. It was very stressful to know what was riding on the job, to know that people were dying. I went to a lot of funerals during that time. It really confronted me with the fact that life is short.
How does serving in the military change your youth, and your perspective at that age?
You realize what is a big deal and what is not a big deal. It forces you to grow up; you’re an adult from then on, and you cease to be whatever you were before. There are things in the military that you are responsible for, and no one else is. You have to grow up.
What things have you come to appreciate that non-veterans might take for granted?
I didn’t appreciate the little things in life before the military. Things like a pretty sunset or the scenery outside on a given day. When you’re in the military, you’re deprived of a lot of things, a lot of comforts. Once they’re taken away, you miss them, and you realize how fortunate you were to have those things.
Coming from the military, what drew you to Hillsdale College?
I was originally drawn to Hillsdale because of Dr. Bauman, the head of the Christian studies department. Hillsdale is a place that recognizes how Christianity has changed the world and how it changes people, and how, little by little, a lot of people can change the world. In more secular environments, people think you can have change without that foundation.
Hillsdale is trying to teach the truth. Hillsdale is not just tell[ing] you what to think but teaching you how to think. Hillsdale does not bring people in just to indoctrinate them but to really teach them how to think for themselves.
Why do you think a liberal arts education is important?
Without a liberal arts education, you’re lacking something, and you don’t even know you’re lacking it. It gives you a better understanding of the context that we live in and not just the context that you wake up and find yourself in every day, but the broader context of history, time and space, other countries around us, and other time periods before us.
What is it like to be a veteran at Hillsdale College?
It makes me older, for one. Other than that, it gives me a bigger context and background to compare what I learn here to. Having been on my own, I have a few more memories to draw from, if nothing else. I’m able to think to myself, ‘This idea that I’m learning in class: is it consistent with how I think the world works? Can I look back on the past and see it through the framework of this idea that I’m learning about in class? Or am I going to reject this idea because I’ve had experiences which don’t mesh with this idea, and for which reason I think this idea is flawed or lacking?’
What are some of the challenges veterans face as they transition back to civilian life?
In the military there are standards and customs. Leaving the military, you’re going from a lot of structure to complete freedom. It can also be hard because of the many misconceptions and ideas of what it’s like to be in the military, mainly because of Hollywood.
What are meaningful ways that Americans, and specifically the Hillsdale College community, can show appreciation for veterans?
To me, the most meaningful thing you can do would be to look at your life and ask, ‘What am I living for? What am I doing with this time and this life that I have? Am I wasting it? Am I squandering it?’ It’s sort of a duty to one’s self, but that’s what would be most meaningful to me.
What things should students interested in joining the military consider and be aware of?
They should count the cost and be aware of the things that you do end up sacrificing. At the same time, you’ll never have to ask yourself, ‘Could I have done that?’ You’ll never wonder about it.
The military isn’t for everyone. I hope people know that you don’t have to have an excuse not to join. But it is a good thing to consider. I would suggest talking to someone who has been in the military.