For the past four years of my life, I have had no first name. I have come to be known simply as Bennett. This is because four years ago, I joined the United States Army as a member of the Georgia Army National Guard. I joined as a 68W—a Combat Medic. I am not the first member of my family to join and hopefully I will not be the last. I am part of an ongoing tradition of service to the United States. In almost every generation of my family, one or more family members have stood up for the sake of freedom. Some were drafted, others volunteered, but still they came forward to serve. To say that I am proud of this family tradition is an understatement. I have teared up 3 or 4 times already just thinking about the sacrifices made by the men in my family to serve and protect this great country that we live in. And so it is my turn.

At first, I didnt think that it was all that big of a deal to sign on the dotted line and offer up a few years of my life. After all, I was not going into active duty service and would most likely not be deployed. But when I graduated from Basic Training and AIT, I kicked and kicked myself for not going active. Instead of using the skills that the Army had taught me, I would be going back to civilian life, a life of non-adventure and boredom. It seemed that I would never be able to fulfill the task of serving and possibly saving lives. I have dealt with this for 4 years, and I have come to terms with the fact that I may never go on a Combat Deployment. I may never know the comradery of being in lifethreatening situations with my brothers who have answered the call to arms with me. I began to think that my service somehow meant less because of that. I mean sure, my unit has the chance of getting activated, but the chances are slim. It was only recently that I began to think I really meant something to the military at all when I was placed on a month long trip to the National Training Center in Fort Irwin, California. It is not a deployment by any means, but it is an opportunity for me to use the skills given to me by the military and to potentialy be put in situations where I might be needed to save life or limb. I have always been proud to be a soldier, but more so now than ever. There is a certain thrill in the presentation of a new challenge or obstacle and I am feeling that now.

I know that my involvement in this mission, no matter how small, will help the larger mission progress. In the end, I am one of only a few that stood and swore an oath of service. Less than one percent of the population of the United States has done what I have done, so I am proud. I am proud not only to continue my family's line of service, but to have found a sense of purpose in my own. This article will only strike home to a select few individuals. To those that have read and feel like they dont understand, then this obviously was not for you. To the ones we have lost, will lose, and cannot save, I offer my thanks for your service. When presenting a flag to the family of a fallen soldier, the presenter always begins with "on behalf of a grateful nation..." I have been to only one funeral where a flag was presented and when those words came out of the old soldier's mouth, I broke down. No amount of discipline or pride could have held those tears inside. I am proud, I am grateful, I am humbled. So from one soldier to many others, thank you for serving. Thank you for leading. Thank you for sacrificing.

In Memory of Sergeant Major Retired Bill Vorhees

"If I do my full duty, the rest will take care of itself." - General George S. Patton