Soldiers Re-enlist Despite Long Deployments

Photo By Staff Sgt. Ricardo Branch | Spc. Ken McDonald, Sgt. William Fein, and Spc. Joseph Hills from Company B, 3rd Brigade Support Battalion all re-enlisted during their deployment of Operation Iraqi Freedom V. They re-enlisted for stabilization, and the school option as part of their re-enlistment incentive. First Brigade Combat Team has seen a large percentage of enlisted Soldiers reenlist to remain in the Army.  

RAMADI, IRAQ

01.24.2008

Story by Spc. Ricardo Branch 

1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division

By Spc. Ricardo Branch
1st BCT, Public Affairs

CAMP RAMADI, Iraq – There are no cash bonuses right now but Soldiers are still re-enlisting in the Raider Brigade. Since arriving in country over a year ago, the 1st Brigade Combat Team has seen a large numbers of troops taking the oath to defend their country.

Out of 3,860 enlisted Soldiers, 1,172 troops have re-enlisted, which is almost one out of every three enlisted in the brigade.

In Company B, 3rd Brigade Support Battalion on Camp Ramadi, the hands of enlistees have risen for multiple reasons to remain in the Army.

Spc. Joseph Hills, a mechanic with Co. B, said he re-enlisted for the school option along with one year of stabilization.

"I don't know if I'm going to be in the Army my whole life," Hills said. "I want to have options open for me after I make my eight year mark, and decide if I want to stay in."

Hills, 25, from Stronsburg, Neb., has been in the Army four years and has served in Fort Riley, Kan., and Korea, before coming to Fort Stewart., Ga., with the 1st BCT, 3rd Inf. Div.

"Being in the Army has had its' ups and downs," he said. "I've not had a lot of time to see my family, but I've made a lot of good friends and been allowed to travel a lot."

Sgt. William Fain, a quartermaster and chemical repair specialist in the same company, who also re-enlisted during the deployment, credits the traveling in the Army as a big reason for him remaining in the military.

"Not many people from my hometown can say they have driven a Humvee through the streets of Ramadi, and raised a rifle in another country to fight and defend for their country," he said.

Fain, 23, from Bellview, Fla., re-enlisted with his fellow Soldiers for the sense of security the Army gives along with the experiences.

"I was offered 17,500 dollars because I was stop-lossed beyond my original enlistment, but I really wasn't thinking about the money. Sure it helps, but I really enlisted because I didn't have much going on for me at the time."

Fain did not have a girl waiting for him at home, or another job lined up to replace the one he would be leaving, so he made the decision to stay with the Army.

"When I was little, I always wanted to be in the military," he said. "As a kid, I'd watch those old war movies and think they were really cool ... so here I am."

Spc. Ken McDonald, a small utilities repair specialist in Co. B, raised his hand for the stabilization incentive the Army offered. McDonald, 22, grew up in nearby Cheraw, S.C., and wants to one day work on cars, which was the reason he took his re-enlistment option.

"I didn't want to leave Fort Stewart," he said. "It's close to home for me and I'm taking college classes there."

McDonald focused on the education option, as well as one year stabilization at Fort Stewart.

"People asked me why I went with the school option and didn't hold out for a bonus," he said. "I figured I wasn't going to get any money, so school was the biggest thing going for me."

Growing up in Cheraw, McDonald wanted a quick way out of town. The Army recruiter told him about the Montgomery G.I. Bill for college and he signed right up.

"I want to be able to look beyond the Army," he said. "The military for me has been relatively good. I know my job well and enjoy what I do."

McDonald said that people re-enlist into the Army for many reasons, "I can't speak for other people but for me, it's all about the opportunity to go beyond."

There are many reasons a Soldier raises his hand to continue his service to the Army, for three Soldiers in 3rd BSB, it's about patriotism, experience and opportunities.

• Date Taken: 01.24.2008
• Date Posted: 01.28.2008 14:10
• Story ID: 15840
• Location: RAMADI, IQ