149th Infantry Regiment soldier on his third enlistment

Photo By Staff Sgt. Paul Glover | Staff Sgt. Mark Ridener, a signal support systems specialist with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 149th Infantry Regiment, 77th Sustainment Brigade, 310th Expeditionary Sustainment Command and a Corbin, Ky., native, is pictured Aug. 4 at Camp Buehring, Kuwait, prior to deploying north to Joint Base Balad, Iraq. (Photo by U.S. Army Sgt. Paul Evans)  

JOINT BASE BALAD, IRAQ

08.04.2011

Courtesy Story

77th Sustainment Brigade

JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq— Many soldiers in the military fulfill only their initial contract, but many others wish to stay in long enough to retire. For one soldier with the 149th Infantry Regiment, 77th Sustainment Brigade, 310th Expeditionary Sustainment Command, the third time seems to be a charm.

For eleven years, 33-year-old Staff Sgt. Mark Ridener, a signal support systems specialist with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 149th Inf. Regt. and a Corbin, Ky., native, has left the Army on two occasions only to return later on.

“The Army has more of a brotherhood feel to it,” he said. “Pretty much every job I’ve ever had has been serving. I feel like that’s what I’m meant to do. The Army lets me serve my community.”

In 200, Ridener served three years in the Army as a signal support systems specialist. At this time he deployed to Germany for 8 months in the aftermath of 9/11 before leaving to become a Kentucky State policeman.

After separating from service in 2003 and rejoining the Army in 2008, Ridener became a full-time assistant battalion operations noncommissioned officer and information security assurance officer for the 149th Inf. Regt. Deployed to Iraq, Ridener is a key part of the 149th Inf. Regt.’s communications section.

• Date Taken: 08.04.2011
• Date Posted: 09.11.2011 05:00
• Story ID: 76821
• Location: JOINT BASE BALAD, IQ