President Bush has vowed to "rid the world of evil-doers" in what he repeatedly terms a war against terrorism.
Such language has left many Americans and members of the Penn community confused over whether the nation, or they themselves, will become involved in a military effort.
But to students in Penn's Reserve Officer Training Corps, the military is a far more concrete -- and immediate -- reality.
And to many of these students, their involvement in ROTC is a source of pride during what is considered a national crisis.
"I've heard of people going out and donating blood, but the best thing you can donate is your service to your country," said College senior Piers Platt, an Army ROTC student.
"If people want to make a difference, then serving in the military is the way to do it," he added.
And some students who aren't involved in ROTC have said they are worried about the potential institution of a compulsory draft and the likelihood of involvement overseas.
Recent news reports have suggested that military action in nations believed to harbor terrorist groups, particularly Afghanistan, are possible in the near future. Such attacks would aim to locate and eliminate terrorist groups in many countries -- and may require troops from home.
Political Science Professor Avery Goldstein said he believes such retaliatory strikes are foreseeable.
"I think it's likely that bombing will be part of any military operation, if there is a military operation," Goldstein said. "But I don't think you'll see, at least in Afghanistan, mainly a bombing campaign."
Goldstein added that he does not think it is likely that military action will involve a large scale land campaign like what was sent to the Persian Gulf.
"Terrorist groups are not going to stand like a regular army," he said. "They're going to hide, to try to ambush our troops."
While Goldstein said he believed the likelihood of a draft is "very small," some students said they feared being called to service, or that they simply don't support joining the military for this cause.
College sophomore Shan Gian said that he would not join the military if he were needed.
"I don't believe in war," he said, but added, "what was done probably justifies war and the president will go through with that."
But for most ROTC students, military service is not just a certainty -- it's an honor.
Students involved in Penn's three ROTC branches -- Navy, Army and Air Force -- take ROTC classes and training sessions each year in addition to their regular academic courseload.
Many ROTC students sign a contract with the federal government committing them to at least four years of active military duty upon graduation in return for a partial tuition scholarship.
ROTC students said that, despite the fact that they officially are part of the military, they are just as uncertain about how the United States will proceed with military action as anyone else.
"Basically I don't think I know any more than the next guy walking down Locust Walk," Nursing senior and Navy ROTC Batallion Commander Katie Foster said.
"But I do know that, no matter what happens next, that I will support President Bush's decision 100 percent in every way," she added.
After she graduates this year, Foster will be commissioned in the U.S. Navy as an ensign in the nurse corps. She said that, especially now, she is proud of both her involvement in the military and the fact that she will be commissioned in nine months.
"I don't think I'm more proud than I always have been, but I definitely didn't expect to get commissioned when there's such a big conflict going on in the world," Foster said.
Engineering senior and Army ROTC student Geoff Pelletier agreed that while he did not expect his military service to coincide with America's response to a terrorist attack, he is willing to go to war if called to do so.
"When I first signed the contract to be in ROTC, I agreed that that would be something I'd be willing to do," Pelletier said.
"I think we are definitely ready and willing to do our obligation when we need to go," he added. "I'm definitely willing to serve when the time comes because I'm sure it will come."
But despite support of America's decisions, Penn ROTC students said that with military action and their own entrance into active duty considered imminent, their outlook on their service has changed.
"It's certainly a very different feeling from how it has been in the past for me," Platt said. "In the past I just sort of thought of it as a job I'm going on to do after college. Now it's something completely different."
"It definitely makes what we train for very real," Pelletier added.
College senior Ronjon Bhattacharya, a student in the Navy ROTC, agreed that he was conscious of the risk of going to war when he joined the corps.
"We're spending at least four years in the military," he said. "When you're in the military, you go to war."
"When I signed on I knew that there was a risk involved of dying and going to war," he added.
Bhattacharya said that ROTC students had not spoken much about the implications of Tuesday's events, other than to comfort the one Navy ROTC member who lost a loved one in the attacks.
Many non-ROTC students have said that they see talk of military action by the Defense Department as distant and obscure.
In a recent on-line poll of over 10,000 college students, more than half responded that they would not be willing to serve in the military's response to last week's terrorist attacks.
The question, posed by CollegeClub.com to its on-line users, was "If the U.S. government needed it, would you serve in the military to respond to the terrorists and their supporters?"
Of the male respondents, 62 percent said they would serve if asked. The pool of female respondents gave a markedly different response: 73 percent said they would not serve.
At Penn, students had a similarly mixed response to the prospect of the United States' going to war.
Many students responded that they thought war is "very likely," though they held varying opinions over what such a war would involve, and whether they would be willing to join the military.
College senior Gregory Eshbaugh said he sees the president's talk of military action to mean "an underground war," targeting individuals rather than nations.
When asked if he would join the military in its response to Tuesday's attacks, Eshbaugh said "if it were needed, undoubtedly."
