Courtesy Photo | Sgt. 1st Class Jackie Tucker (upper right) and his military family. (Photo courtesy...... read more read more
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The Army…a way up not a way out
By MaryTherese Griffin, Warrior Care and Transition
ARLINGTON, VA. - Sgt. 1st Class Jackie Tucker has done it all for more than 30 years and is the epitome of the phrase, “been there, done that.”
The newly assigned cadre member at the Fort Benning, Georgia Warrior Transition Battalion brings a wealth of experience, to include ups and downs, to the position of Platoon Sergeant.
The choice to join the Army didn’t come easy for Tucker. He joined in 1985 after dropping out of college because he wanted to make a better life for himself. “I never considered the Army until I looked at the employment situation in my home town of Roanoke, Alabama,” Tucker said. “After weighing my options, I decided to call a recruiter. I entered the Army on January 6, 1985 at Fort Knox, Kentucky. I completed Basic and Advanced Individual Training and went to my first duty station in Bamberg, Germany with the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment.”
Tucker served as a recovery specialist until he received a hardship discharge due to a medical condition. “What happened to me is one of the reasons that I like what's going on at the Warrior Transition Units today. Soldiers with problems and different issues can come here to get better and return to the fight,” he said.
Tucker gets it. He believes if today’s care for Soldiers in transition was available during his transition, his journey wouldn’t have been as hard.
“I feel that if I was given that chance, my active duty Army career may have lasted longer. I took a year or two break in service to take care of my issues,” he added. He joined his hometown National Guard unit and has served almost three decades with only one break in service.
Tucker remained in the Army because he wanted to finish what he started, loved what he was doing and was proud to serve his country.
From tank mechanic to field artillery forward observer and now a platoon sergeant, Tucker has an even greater respect for the WTBs and how they’ve evolved because of his own family. “My family is a military family. First, of course there is my father, a Vietnam veteran who served 22 years. Myself, still serving in the Alabama National Guard; my wife is a retired Staff Sergeant in the Alabama National Guard; my Son is an Army Guard Reserve Sergeant in Indiana; my daughter is assigned to the Alabama National Guard working at a Joint Forces Headquarters. Another daughter received a medical retirement from the Army,” said Tucker.
Tucker’s daughter Meghan was injured on a deployment to Cuba and recovered at the Fort Benning WTB. While there, she learned about the position for a Platoon Sergeant was available and asked if there was a need for a good Sergeant First Class. The answer was yes and she gathered the information and sent it to her father.
Today, Tucker works with those who supported his daughter. “My daughter tells me she was treated with respect and received the best treatment for her injuries and the process to get her back in the fight went rather well. I currently work with some of the cadre who were responsible for her care and recovery, “said Tucker.
His son, Jackie Jr., had the experience of escorting a Soldier from combat in Afghanistan to the WTB at Fort Benning. He told me that from his arrival to the handoff, it was a good experience and that he was glad to have been of service to the Soldier.
Deploying to Iraq, job changes, an early failed marriage, and other things that life delivers, Sgt. 1st Class Tucker wants Soldiers to know they should stay focused on their goals. “The thing that I try to teach Soldiers today is to have a strong belief in what they want to accomplish while they are serving in the military,” Tucker added. “Believing that, you can be all that you can be.”
I try to tell them that “this is not just a way out, but a way up” and the doors of opportunity extend well beyond the time that you serve. It’s a way of life that carries you through so many more aspects of life.”
| Date Taken: | 04.19.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 04.19.2018 12:22 |
| Story ID: | 273695 |
| Location: | ARLINGTON, VA, US |
| Web Views: | 118 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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