A very important person in my life told me once — “You don’t have the discipline to make it.”
This comment was his response after I told him I was thinking about enlisting in the U.S. Army back in 2003.
Now it was not meant as an insult. It was just coming from his perspective because he thought I would not adapt to a stringent military culture. Truth be told, I was not sure of myself either.
Now here I am, 14 years later as a newly promoted field-grade officer.
My military journey began on September 23, 2004 when I climbed into a van in Knoxville, TN for basic training. My wife, Lori, and I exchanged glances through the window as the van pulled away, leaving my bride and young son behind.
The tears down my face flowed as Knoxville faded from the distance. Leaving my family behind for the next several months was unthinkable. However, Lori and I agreed that the long term investment was worth the short time sacrifice.
I had enlisted as a 46-Romeo: Public Affairs Broadcast Specialist. With a television background, this military occupation seemed like the best opportunity for me to work in my field of expertise during a time of mass layoffs across the industry. Like most people, the plan was to serve just one enlistment, then use the experience to land a job in a newsroom.
My first duty assignment was with the 14th Public Affairs Detachment based at Fort Carson, Colorado. The unit was set to deploy within weeks of my arrival. It was hard being the new guy in such a small unit. It had a very set culture. I was one of only two married Soldiers, and I was the only one with a child.
It was becoming a challenging overseas tour. I even turned down an hefty reenlistment bonus, dead set on finishing my initial enlistment. Then a man named Scott Lang changed everything for me. Lang was Col. Lang. He was my brigade commander at the time.
One afternoon he found me in the chow line and asked me if he could join me for lunch. Over the course of our lunch, he asked me if I ever thought about becoming an officer. Grasping for something to say to such a senior leader, I asked “Sir, what do you look for in officers?” He responded with just one word: “you.”
Now all these years later, here I stand as a major.
My first encounter with a major was at basic training. As a new enlistee, majors seemed so high above pretty much most of the population. I believed that there was no way I could ever rise to that level.
The best and worst leadership during my first assignment came from majors. I learned quickly the field-grade officers wield immense influence. The morale of Soldiers hinged on the demeanor of our nearest field-grade.
It was an Army major who taught me about crisis communication on my first tour. It quickly became a professional passion. Several majors mentored me countless times as a captain. They taught me what operational planning looks like, and how to coordinate across joint-combined environments.
During my time on the brigade staff, I heard the phrase “majors run the Army.”
In time, I came to understand exactly what that meant over the course of six years on brigade and division-equivalent staffs.
Captains are tactical officers. They provide direct leadership. Majors do the behind-the-scenes work that keeps the machine going. They are expected to know everything, work longer than everyone and be the happiest about it.
They shape the recommendations that ultimately become the policies directed by our senior commanders. Their reward for good work is harder work. They have to always be at the top of their game. A bad day is not an option.
It is tough to make the cut for this rank as a public affairs officer (PAO). Several of my peers were separated from the 2007 public affairs year group when the Army downsized through the Officer Separation Board process. Among those who remained, the selection rate for the rank of major was 59.1%: the lowest selection that year. Promotions are not something to take for granted. It takes hard work. It takes passion.
I had some great leaders invest in me along the way. Leaders such as Brig. Gen. Matt McFarlane, Donald Reeves, Kelly Knitter, Tom Roth, Lt. Col. John Geis, Lt. Col. Alan Brown and Col. Shawn Reed just to name a few.
There are many others who have poured into me over a 14-year military career. Many of the Soldiers I have led also left their fingerprints on me and forgave my mistakes along the way. I will forever be grateful to the members of my staff at Headquarters Detachment, USARAK, and the four men I served with in the Spartan Public Affairs Team. I wish they could have been there with me as Lori and Brig. Gen. McFarlane replaced my shoulder-boards from the rank of captain to major.
This is a time of celebration for my family. I am the first field-grade officer in my lineage since the Revolutionary War. This promotion also comes with a realization that the challenges will only become harder as more will be expected of me and my abilities. I intend to prove worthy of the tasks to come.
My dad is the one who spoke those first words of doubt about whether I could make it as a Soldier. That was very unlike him. He was supportive of me in every other way throughout my life. This was the one area he doubted.
He was glad to be proven wrong, quickly becoming proud of what I was accomplishing as a Soldier. He sort of re-lived his days as a trooper through my experiences. It renewed his pride in being a veteran.
My dad passed away last year after his 18-month battle with cancer. I especially missed him as I was promoted to a field grade officer.
He was there at Fort Benning to pin my butter bars on me in 2006.
He would be the proudest person on the planet to have been at the Pentagon as his son became a U.S. Army major. I know he is smiling from a distance.
| Date Taken: | 11.21.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 01.24.2018 10:43 |
| Story ID: | 263079 |
| Location: | WASHINGTON, D.C. , DC, US |
| Web Views: | 34 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, A Coming of Age Story, by MAJ Chase Spears, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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