Photo By Master Sgt. Alex Ramos | U.S. Army Sgt. Anthony Baumiller, a native of Blythe, Calif., sits next to his younger...... read more read more
NANGAHAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan – U.S. Army Sgt. Tessa Baumiller, a native of Blythe, Calif., could not help but feel a little sad as her reenlistment ceremony approached.
A request she had asked her chain of command for did not pan out, or so she thought.
U.S. Army Sgt. Anthony Baumiller, Tessa’s brother who is a cavalry scout assigned to Troop A, 8th Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, recently arrived to Afghanistan and made his way to Forward Operating Base Finley-Shields for his sister’s reenlistment ceremony without her knowledge.
In the weeks leading up to the ceremony, Tessa, an intelligence analyst assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 3rd Squadron, 61st Cav. Reg., 4th BCT, 4th Inf. Div., had asked her chain of command if there would be any way possible to arrange for her brother to attend her special moment, she explained. Her request was denied and made more believable by an email her first sergeant showed her stating that her brother would not be able to attend.
Anthony however, was in on the gig.
“She had no idea I was coming or that I knew,” he said. “It kind of felt good to surprise her and bring up her spirits... if she was feeling down.”
“I knew she would react with tears and I knew she would be excited, so I was kind of looking forward to that,” said Anthony with a smirk.
Overjoyed by the fact her brother was able to make her reenlistment, Tessa recalled the reason why she joined the Army in 2007.
“When my brother joined the Army, that was really a proud moment for me,” she said. “I wanted to make him proud and follow his footsteps, because he has always been there for me and taken care of me.”
Tessa, the second youngest of four children and the only girl, remembers her brother’s transformation from civilian to soldier when she went to his graduation of basic combat training in 2006.
“We went to family day and he just became a better person,” she said as she looked at Anthony. “He carried himself like he was proud of what he was doing and we felt like he had made the best decision.”
“He’s the type of person that I strive to be,” she said. “My brother is a great person with a great heart and great family.”
Anthony, the second oldest, says his parents and family couldn’t be prouder of them.
Both Baumillers joined the Army for different reasons. For Anthony it was a matter of facing new challenges and doing something different. For Tessa it was seeing the positive changes the Army made in her older brother. For this brother and sister team, continuing to serve is a family affair.
| Date Taken: | 10.12.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 10.17.2012 09:05 |
| Story ID: | 96292 |
| Location: | NANGAHAR PROVINCE, AF |
| Hometown: | BLYTHE, CA, US |
| Web Views: | 683 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Why We Serve: US Army Sgt. Tessa Baumiller, by MSG Alex Ramos, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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