Photo By 1st Lt. Michael Needham | Spc. Adrian Mitchell, 2nd Battalion, 185th Aviation Regiment (left), stands next her...... read more read more
CAMP BUEHRING, Kuwait - When Pfc. Dylan Mitchell began his senior year of high school, he realized that his dream of being a soldier in the Mississippi Army National Guard was about to come true. “It just seemed like a really nice lifestyle and the way I wanted to live—being able to help people and travel the world,” said Pfc. Mitchell. He told his mom that he wanted to fly Apache helicopters, so he and his mother spoke to a recruiter to start his enlistment paperwork to join the Mississippi Army National Guard.
On the day the Mitchell family met the recruiter his mother, Adrian Mitchell, jokingly said, “If I am able to re-enlist, I will go back in.” Two months after the initial visit to the recruiter’s office, Adrian Mitchell re-enlisted into the Mississippi Army National Guard. She spent the first part of her military career serving with the active Army, the Army National Guard, and the Air National Guard. Less than one year after re-enlisting she was at Fort Rucker training to become an air traffic controller.
While most high school seniors were preparing to walk across the stage at graduation, Dylan learned a slot had opened up for basic combat training (BCT). He had a choice to make: he could walk with his fellow classmates or leave for BCT. Dylan chose to chase his dream instead of walking with his classmates at graduation. After basic training, Dylan attended Air Traffic Control School with his mother, who had already begun training at the school. The last month and a half of her advanced individual training, she was able to train with her son Dylan.
The mother and son combination now both serve together in the same unit, based in Southaven, Miss.
“They call me ‘Momma Mitchell’ in the unit; a lot of the younger soldiers say ‘hey mom,’” said Spc. Mitchell. The small tight-knit unit provides a family-like atmosphere, which not only strengthens the Mitchells' Soldier bond, but the family bond as well.
Less than one year after graduating from Air Traffic Control School at Fort Rucker, Spc. Mitchell and Pfc. Mitchell returned to the 2nd Battalion, 185th Aviation Regiment and received orders mobilizing them with the 185th Theater Aviation Brigade to Kuwait in support of Operation Inherent Resolve. The two arrived in Kuwait in April, and the duo was split up. Spc. Mitchell works at Camp Buehring and her son Pfc. Mitchell works at Camp Arifjan.
“Being away from him, even though I am only two hours away is the hardest part of this deployment,” said Spc. Mitchell.
The mother and son combination both decided to extend their deployments and spend another nine months in Kuwait. “I’m thankful that we have this opportunity because not a lot of people get the opportunity to do what we are getting to do and I feel blessed that we are in the unit that we are in,” said Spc. Mitchell.
| Date Taken: | 07.14.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 07.16.2015 03:13 |
| Story ID: | 170168 |
| Location: | CAMP BUEHRING, KW |
| Hometown: | HERNANDO, MS, US |
| Hometown: | SOUTHHAVEN, MS, US |
| Web Views: | 944 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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