My Baby is a soldier - update

My daughter graduated High School last year completed OSUT which is Basic Training then advanced individual Military skill training (AIT) immediately following. She arrived at her Reserve Unit for December’s Drill assembly.

She has since been deployed with the unit and is stationed at a stateside training base for a couple months training prior to deployment. She receive her alert, and orders for Mobilization on a Friday and was on the bus to the training site on the following Tuesday. As you can imagine, the weekend in between was fast paced with packing gear and getting all the requisite actions complete before shipping off.

I wrote about my daughter’s progress through the training process before and I remain in marvel of the system that transformed my little Girl into a soldier.

I visited her unit the 744th MP Battalion, and immediately discovered soldiers and Officers I knew in various previous assignments – as they say the Army is a small place at times. Even as an old salt, I was impressed with the efficiency, team atmosphere, competence and determination of the unit’s leaders and members. They were getting things accomplished to move out on their mission.

I also met many other families at the 744th Reserve Center and know it is a tough thing for them to say farewell for a while as their sons, daughters, spouses and partners depart. I don’t know to what extent that many families know of the task that is ahead of the unit – the hurry up and waits, training, movement and deployment.

I know from my own experience, just as it is for my daughter, that the activities for the deploying unit are charged with apprehension, trepidation but also a sense of pride. For unit members are now called forward as soldiers to serve their country. The basis for this service goes back to the very foundation of the country when then as now, citizen soldiers answered the call.

I will write again about this unit – one and all embody the term – soldier strong.