Soldier. NCO. Dad.
Soldier.
NCO.
Dad.
They all have importance, and not all in that order. Being a dad while also serving in the military is definitely a test of patience and organization. It’s been a transition from taking care of my kids at home, to taking care of my kids at work—just a lot older with more money to make bad decisions with.
It is taxing and trying, but worth it. Watching soldiers grow from young people with no real direction in life to making steady career and college decisions in and out of the service is the best feeling I’ve ever had.
Not all of them make it. Sometimes, it feels like they are newly hatched turtles scrambling to make it to the ocean. With the seagulls of bad life decisions and a failed out-processing system pecking them off the sand, there is little we can do but try to help them get to the water.
Being a dad gives you a sense of perspective. This soldier is someone’s son or daughter and that parent’s only wish is to see them succeed in life. Though they may have not set them up with the skills to be that success story, which is something you may realize about your own parents once you are in your thirties, it’s up to us to do our best to help guide them on that path.
So many soldiers come to us to develop these life skills, and just as we pass on what we know for our own kids, it’s so important to take that mindset with soldiers. It’s true about all the little hurdles our soldiers face. Even with things that these young men and women find stupid, like buying a first car.
My NCO took me to the dealership, though I was embarrassed to have him there with me, I was grateful after when I walked out with a truck that I wanted without any of the stupid things 20-year-old me would have added. Don’t get me wrong, my NCO was not soft by any means. I spent plenty of time in the front leaning rest and carrying water jugs for being an idiot.
The things I remember about him the most though were the dealership and how he helped me move out of my house when my first wife and I split. Sounds pretty fatherly to me. Over the last 15 years, I have watched my proverbial kids go on to be medics, nurses, police officers, lawyers, businessmen, and in one case, a biologist.
Some stay in and that’s great too. I only hope I can raise my own children to be like some of these young men and women one day, emphasis on some. Regardless, I am proud of all of them.
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160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment - The Night Stalkers
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Operation Hump: 173rd’s Legendary Operation in Vietnam
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The Elusive Blue Air Assault Beret
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Wisdom from the Community: Top Five Pieces of Advice for New Paratroopers
Read MoreWisdom from the Community: Top Five Pieces of Advice for New Paratroopers Hear ye, hear ye! Young paratroopers, we believe you deserve some valuable advice because you are at a stage where you need it to shape your military career. Because we care, we reached out to our community to...
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Operation Restore Democracy: The Landing that Never Happened
Read MoreOperation Restore Democracy: The Landing that Never Happened In the early 1990s, Haiti's democracy was in constant crisis, and the island was being governed by unconstitutional leadership. The regimes kept changing but lacked national and international legitimacy, leading to U.N. sanctions. The United States created a multinational force (MNF) to...
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The Evolution of Airborne Operations: From World War II to Present Day
Read MoreThey called it "The Iron Rain." On the fateful day of June 6, 1944, as part of Operation Overlord, more than 13,000 paratroopers from the American 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions leaped into the night sky, their hearts racing, their minds set on one goal: the liberation of Europe from...
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Boots On Ground: The 82nd Airborne in the Battle for Iraq
Read MoreTransporting you from your favorite reading nook literally into the boots of the 82nd Airborne in the Battle for Iraq, Boots on the Ground by Karl Zinsmeister details the story of the frontline in a way that often isn't covered in the headline news story. A frontline reporter traveling with the 82nd,...
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The Essentials: The C-17 Globemaster
Read More"The Essentials" Series is a monthly blog related to Airborne culture. We target fundamental topics such as Airborne equipment, culture, traditions, trivia, etc. While we have a semi-annual plan on the topics, we remain open to ideas from paratroopers like yourself. So, feel free to reach out and propose a...
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The Filthy Thirteen: The True Story of the Dirty Dozen
Read MoreTightly bound to one another in times of war, unforgiving in the way they approach a battle, and legendary in their bravery, the story is told of the US paratroopers of the US 101st Airborne Division in The Filthy Thirteen. Finding the courage to parachute behind enemy lines in the...
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Battle of Yongju: The Battle of the Apple Orchard
Read MoreAlso known as the Battle of the Apple Orchard, the UN orchestrated the Battle of Yongju to fight back against the North Korean forces during the Korean war. In this offensive maneuver, the US 187th Airborne Regimental Combat Team—or the US 187 RCT was called on to move in front...
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The Chosen Few: US Paratrooper's Battle in Eastern Afghanistan
Read MoreBringing you to a more recent battle in a different part of the world, The Chosen Few by Gregg Zoroya is a detailed account of how a U.S. Paratroopers company fought in eastern Afghanistan in 2007. In hopes to go in on a single, swift mission in order to befriend the isolated...
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No Better Place To Day: The Battle For La Fiere Bridge
Read MoreIn this first-person narrative, Robert M. Murphy transports you right into the battle at La Fiere in the early morning hours of D-Day. Taking you through a firsthand account of close-quarters combat in the industrial war of the 20th century, Murphy covers all sides of the war, from the paratroopers...
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Airborne Equipment: The Waco CG-4A Glider
Read MoreDuring World War II, the U.S. Army Air Forces utilized military gliders as a method of delivery to battle. These one-time use, engineless aircraft were towed in pairs near to the front lines of battle, typically by a Douglas C-47 military transport aircraft, carrying troops or supplies to bolster advancing...
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Over 100 years of bravey: The 173rd Airborne Brigade
Read MoreThe 173rd Airborne Brigade is a United States Army airborne infantry brigade formed on 12 June 1917 at Camp Devens, Massachusetts. It is one of the oldest airborne units in the United States Army and has a rich history of service and combat operations. A WORLD AT WAR During World...
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War: Through the eyes of the 173rd Airborne in Afghanistan
Read More"Brotherhood has nothing to do with feelings; it has to do with how you define your relationship to others. It has to do with the rather profound decision to put the welfare of the group above your personal welfare. In such a system, feelings are meaningless. In such a system,...
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Into The Viper's Nest: The First Pivotal Battle Of The Afghan War
Read More"I set out then to report this story from many points of view - American and British, from soldier to general, from diplomat to president. It seemed to me that only by getting behind the scenes could anyone pretend to understand what was happening. And it seemed far better to...
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You can Jump from a plane. How about jumping into a book?
Read MoreAs paratroopers, we know you've got discipline and are always on the lookout for that new book title that will leave a lasting impression. The global library has never been more diverse, yet you want something you can relate to. The good news is that we've reached out to our...
