While it is common for servicemen who join the military to do it as part of following their fathers' path, there are those offspring who say it was their mothers who inspired them to wear the uniform. That is the case with two young men serving in the Mississippi National Guard.
Specialist Caleb Lewis and his mother Chief Warrant Officer Trudy Garrett are members of the Gulfport-based 1108th Aviation Group. Mother and son are both currently deployed to Kuwait.
"It makes my heart smile to have the opportunity to witness my son doing great things," said Garrett. "Joining the Mississippi Army National Guard was one of the best decisions I made at his age."
Garrett says as a mother and as a guardsman, she tried to set an example for her son from an early age about the importance of hard work and integrity. She was proud to see him follow in her footsteps by enlisting.
"I know it will benefit him as well. His career is up to him. It will be what he wants it to be. The sky is the limit, and all depends on his motivation, determination, and drive to achieve his goals. I'm one 'Proud Momma'".
Senior Master Sgt. Louise O'Brien said she wasn't surprised when during his senior year of high school, her son announced he wanted to join the Mississippi National Guard. That's because she says wearing the uniform is in his blood.
O'Brien's son 23-year-old Senior Airman Dylan Dominguez is a third generation military member on his mother's side, and his father also served. He is a C-17 loadmaster with the 172d Airlift Wing in Jackson.
"As a mother, you know your child and his individual strengths and inclinations. So when the time came to recommend him for this job, I could unequivocally do so," said O'Brien. "In my heart I believed he would be a good asset to the military. In return I believed the military would strengthen his character through service and by him developing camaraderie with his fellow Airmen."
Currently, O'Brien serves as the Airfield Manager at the CRTC-Battlefield Airmen Center in Gulfport. She joined the military in 1986. Dominguez and his brothers grew up around air fields which made a lasting impression on him.
"All my life lessons, memories, and friends I have made during my service were largely made possible by my mother," Dominguez said. "This was made possible by her raising me into a man, supporting me and always telling me that the Air Force was an excellent career field to get into."
"It feels you with an indescribable feeling of pride,"
O'Brien said in describing her feeling about her son's enlistment. "My son in my wingman, and my wingman is my son. I'm not sure how it happened, but I find it to be very special indeed. I'm glad our military service is a connection that we will always share."
| Date Taken: |
05.30.2018 |
| Date Posted: |
06.06.2018 09:16 |
| Story ID: |
278893 |
| Location: |
GULFPORT , MISSISSIPPI, US |
| Web Views: |
31 |
| Downloads: |
0 |
PUBLIC DOMAIN
This work, Sons Follow Moms Serving in the National Guard, by Andrea D Thomas, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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