Call to duty

Photo By Sgt. Jesse Smith | Pfc. Thanh Le, a radio system maintainer with the Co. C, 602nd Aviation Support Battalion, 2nd Combat Aviation Brigade, places cones around a satellite March 2 at the Republic of Korea base, G510, in South Korea. The cones were used to mark an area to avoid so as to not get affected by the satellite.  

PYEONGTAEK, 41, SOUTH KOREA

03.03.2015

Story by Sgt. Jesse Smith 

2nd Combat Aviation Brigade

CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea – Countless Americans have put their lives in harm’s way to protect our country by volunteering to join the U.S. Army. They have put their education, careers and loved ones to the side and answered the call to duty. Through operation Desert Storm, Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom people keep stepping up to the line to serve, and Pfc. Thanh Le is no different.

Le, a native of Pensacola, Fla. and a radio system maintainer with the Co. C, 602nd Aviation Support Battalion, 2nd Combat Aviation Brigade, helped set up a tactical command post March 2 at the Republic of Korea base, G510, in South Korea. The TAC-CP was to play a big role as the communications center for the 2nd CAB during the training exercise, “Key Resolve’.

However, Le was not always a Soldier. He began working at a phone corporation when he was 17 years old and worked behind a desk all 13 years he was with this company. He worked nine to five every day and didn’t have a lot of activity through his job.

“I wanted to see more of what the world has to offer,” Le said.

Le said his brother-in-law who is a staff sergeant in the army always showed great pride in what he did and loved his job. Le said he admired him and wanted what he had.

“I really felt like I needed more of a challenge, and I wanted to be able to feel good about what I was doing with my life,” Le said.

This is when he decided to volunteer his service to the U.S. Army he said. Being the branch manager at his company meant he would take a significant pay cut, but the pay didn’t matter to him.

“As long as I’m happy with what I’m doing nothing else matters,” Le said.

He went to basic training, but he said he was worried his age of 30 might slow him down compared to all of the other young Soldiers. It only motivated him to work harder. After being named the distinguished honor graduate of his advanced individual training class, his first duty assignment was to Camp Humphreys, South Korea.

“One of the big reasons why I joined the Army was to travel and my first assignment was to Korea,” Le said. “How lucky could I get?”

Le is now helping with the theater-wide exercise and said he feels much more useful now. He would like to make a career out of the Army as long as he can adapt to the military lifestyle which he thinks he has done so far, and could not imagine being anywhere else.

“Be thankful for what you have,” Le said. “Everything will fall into place.”

Le did not have to volunteer to join the Army, but rose to the occasion and placed his hand over his heart just like so many before him.

• Date Taken: 03.03.2015
• Date Posted: 03.13.2015 02:29
• Story ID: 156893
• Location: PYEONGTAEK, 41, KR
• Hometown: PENSACOLA, FL, US