Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Tawny Kruse | Maj. Sarah Jacobs and Spc. Dalton Krum, mother and son, smile for a photo at Camp...... read more read more
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CAMP BONDSTEEL, Kosovo – Spc. Dalton Krum and Spc. Kane Jacobs grew up with two parents serving in the Iowa National Guard, so when the brothers decided to join themselves, they knew all too well the large amount of time families can spend apart between drill weekends, annual training and deployments. But one thing they never expected was to be deployed at the same time along with their mother, Maj. Sarah Jacobs.
Krum and Sarah are both deployed to Kosovo in support of Operation Joint Guardian and Kane is deployed to Kuwait with the 3654th Support Maintenance Company under Operation Spartan Shield.
“Initially, when I was asked to go on the deployment, I was worried [Dalton] would have negative feelings about it,” Sarah said. “This being his first mobilization, I wanted him to be able to have his own experience. But he felt like it was a cool thing.”
Sarah, who serves as the Sexual Assault Response Coordinator for Regional Command-East, Kosovo Force, is stationed at Camp Bondsteel, while Dalton is serving at Camp Nothing Hill a couple of hours away with Troop B, 1st Squadron, 113th Cavalry Regiment.
While their separate locations and different jobs keep them busy, the mother and son find ways to stay connected with each other and the rest of their family.
“It’s been nice,” Krum said. “She’s very helpful with getting snacks and stuff I don’t think about. She’s probably watching out for me more than I am for her because she’s been deployed before. I’m very thankful to have her here.”
Sarah was able to travel to Camp Nothing Hill on Christmas Eve, where they shared dinner, exchanged gifts and fulfilled a family holiday tradition.
“We were on a video call with my husband and we have traditional movies that we always watch,” Sarah said. “So, we all watched ‘Christmas Vacation’ and took a selfie.”
As Mother’s Day approaches, Sarah and her family have reflected on what it has meant to grow up watching your parents serve and raising children who followed in their footsteps.
Both Sarah and her husband, Frank Jacobs, felt it was best to never put pressure on their children to serve. Actions, Sarah said, influence children more than anything else. So, when their sons started thinking about joining the Guard, they focused on simply providing information for them to make their own decisions.
She recalled when Krum started talking about wanting to join, but was hesitant to “pull the trigger.”
“You hear stories about people saying, ‘Oh I would have joined…’” Sarah said, “but truthfully, I feel like what separates people talking about joining and people who join is that commitment upfront. I said, ‘If you know you want to join, why are you going to wait?’ He left shortly after graduation that summer. Giving that time up is the first part of that feeling of sacrifice for the greater good.”
Sarah said she’s prouder of her kids’ service than anything she’s done in her own career, and now that all four of them wear the uniform, the family has found comfort in the common language that comes with serving in the Army. When Kane or Krum are confronted with problems, or just need to talk to someone about their day, their parents understand the “military jargon” and can offer unique perspectives that come with decades of service.
However, it’s important to Sarah and Frank that they give room for their sons to grow in their own careers. When Krum or Kane are in tough situations, Sarah said she tries to remember what it was like to be a specialist, and accept that much of the knowledge that will stick with them will come from their own leadership and experiences.
“One of the weirdest things for me, because I’ve done this for so long, is sometimes I feel like I’m just the first sergeant instead of the dad,” Frank said. “Sometimes you need to step back and be a parent, not a person in the military.”
Frank has adjusted to more than just being a military dad to sons who are Soldiers. Over the years, Frank has deployed twice while Sarah stayed home. Now, he’s getting a taste of what it’s like to be the one holding down the fort.
“I’ve found out how truly difficult it can be to stay home and not have the other person as a resource or to bounce off of,” Frank said. “And the amount of stuff Sarah’s done over my 25 years to help me go to schools, take care of the family, work, go to college and get her master’s, and still being an officer? It takes a special person to do all of that and I’m very proud of her and the boys.”
With women making up less than twenty percent of the U.S. Army, Frank said it can be easy to take for granted how much women contribute to the success of the organization and the sacrifices they make for their families. But this Mother’s Day, Frank and his sons want Sarah to know how much she’s truly appreciated.
“I’m very thankful for her,” Krum said. “She’s always there to support me, even if she’s being hard about it. Everything she does is out of love. It’s been an amazing opportunity to be here, serve with her, deploy with her, work with her and have her here, because literally no one else in the entire brigade can say that.”
| Date Taken: | 05.09.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 05.09.2021 11:14 |
| Story ID: | 395976 |
| Location: | CAMP BONDSTEEL, ZZ |
| Hometown: | MOUNT PLEASANT, IA, US |
| Web Views: | 210 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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