Ryan Conklin, the impish, guitar-playing merry prankster of this season's "The Real World: Brooklyn," is packing his guitar to head off to Iraq tomorrow.

The former cast member of the MTV reality show was feeling more than a little anxious. "I want to get this thing started, because the sooner I do it, the sooner it'll be over," he said Wednesday. "I'm kind of just getting antsy with time."

He hopes to serve a rotation of just nine months.

The 23-year-old Gettysburg native was on the front lines three years ago. He received his deployment notice while living in the "Real World" house. It was one of show's most poignant moments: His brother called with the news, and Conklin's emotional reaction ran the gamut from denial to disbelief to tears.

Conklin, who voiced his opposition to the war and participated in a Veteran's Day parade on the show, touched the hearts of viewers who sympathized with his predicament.

First Published: April 18, 2009, 8:00 a.m.