that was a young man’s mindset.
11.15.17
I joined the army in 2003, three months before turning 18. The recruiter sat me down with a chuckle and said “Have a seat son. Why do you want to join? What do you have to contribute?” I told him I was ready to be a part of a team. I wanted camaraderie. I wanted meaning.
I remember being in basic training when the war in Iraq was declared. Everyone hoorayed and was high-fiving each other, like “We’re going!” You have to understand that it was a very exciting idea to go overseas and apply your skills. To do your part. Before that, many people had spent entire careers without being deployed. But all of that was a young man’s mindset. I was just an 18 year old kid.
I did two deployments in Iraq, one in 04-05 and one in 07-08. The second time, I wasn’t as excited as the first. You know when you’re young, you just do as you’re told. You follow your leader, no questions asked. But as you go through your career, you eventually become the leader, and you have two to four 18 year olds to watch over. I was barely 22 when I was put in that position. You’re in charge, having to make decisions like “do we go in?”, “left or right?”, “are we going in that building?” You have to make these snap decisions, almost without thinking
All of a sudden, you have Mom and Dad’s little Charlie or Ricky, and you’re responsible for them. Their lives are at stake. You have to tell yourself, “Don’t feel sorry for yourself. Don’t get tired. Show confidence, and get these guys through this.
My guys were just like I was on my first deployment. It was almost like please just shoot at me, so I can shoot back. It was a challenge to talk them down and tell them, “Believe me, you do not want it. When it comes, you won’t be ready for it. You’ll be ready training-wise. But, mentally. Emotionally. You won’t be.” And it came hard. Especially that second deployment. I lost friends. War is relentless. Unforgiving. And just very sad. Why can’t we just get along?
I found what I was looking for in the military. Camaraderie. Meaning. And the lessons will always stick with me. Don’t quit. This too shall pass. Learn something so you can teach others. Read a book so you can teach someone else down the road. Apply yourself. Do it the right way the first time. Don’t take short cuts. Don’t quit, don’t quit, don’t quit. All this, I learned from my time in the military.
Daniel Guthrie
Class of 2019, 2020