Photo By Sgt. Matthew Marsilia | Cpl. Lexie Etheridge, a human resources specialist, assigned to 4th Battalion, 9th...... read more read more
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For 24-year-old Cpl. Lexie Etheridge, a human resources specialist, assigned to 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, the path of serving others was one she had wanted to follow from a young age.
Having her first child at the age of 18, Etheridge soon realized the path she was destined to travel wouldn’t be walked alone, but the reward at the end would be worth every step along the way.
“I’m somewhat sort of an anomaly where I’m from,” said Etheridge gleefully with a thick southern accent. “It’s rare that you see women back in my hometown volunteering to join the Army, let alone a single mother with two kids.”
The Union City, Tennessee native knows she’s always had a passion for helping others, which she claims stems from her supportive family and upbringing.
“Southern hospitality is certainly a real thing, not just an expression,” said Etheridge jokingly. “I owe a lot to my parents and how they raised me. They instilled in me at a very young age, an empathetic and caring nature that I carry with me and try to do the same with my children.”
With ambitions to pursue a career in nursing, Etheridge was in a vocational student organization for her duration of high school called the
Health Occupation Students of America (HOSA). HOSA’s mission is to train and educate future healthcare professionals to become leaders in the global health community.
“It was a very empowering experience,” Etheridge said. “I was taught a lot of tools and skills both related and unrelated to healthcare that I still use to this day. I will always be grateful for the experience.”
Although equipped with the competencies to begin a profession of helping others, Etheridge’s pregnancy put her future potential career in the healthcare sector on hold.
“My number one priority became my son at the time,” said Etheridge. “I was young and so heavily invested in trying to be the best mother, that I practically disregarded anything related to professional development.”
Despite doing various volunteer work in her community, Etheridge felt an overwhelming sense of stagnation.
She says it was her two children, five-year-old Levi, and three-year-old Lilah, who kept her grounded and motivated to find ways to push herself and others.
“It wasn’t easy being a mother at 18, but I never needed or asked for sympathy,” she said. “I understood the position I was in, so instead of vicariously living through all of my friends’ young adult lives my main focus was to raise my children, help them grow, and help myself grow in the process.”
Etheridge says as beneficial as the growth process was, it came with its own set of trials and tribulations.
“I was a stay-at-home mother for almost four years before I volunteered to join,” she said. “There was this empty void I couldn’t seem to fill. Don’t get me wrong, nothing brings me more joy and fulfillment than raising my children, but I was still missing something. Something intangible.”
After picking up a waitressing job for a year, Etheridge says her patience grew thin, and the monotony of her life was making her lose track of who she was and what she was set out to accomplish.
“I was done limiting myself to the confines of this restaurant and hometown,” Etheridge said. “I knew I wanted to help change lives and leave an impact. It was time for me to become a better role-model for my children. The Army offered me opportunities no other organization could, and I went after it. I knew I could bake all day and still be a great role-model, but there is a level of sacrifice that is incomparable to Soldiers’ willingness to risk their lives for the safety and protection of their nation
and its citizens.”
Those who’ve met Etheridge during her two years in the Army thus far can best describe her as a motherly addition to their unit.
“We used to call her ‘Momma E’,” said Staff Sgt. Malik Carter, a human resources specialist, assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st SBCT, 4th Inf. Div.. “Cpl. Etheridge epitomizes our military occupational specialty. Her natural inclination to help others in our shop was a direct translation of who she is as a person. She goes above and beyond the expectations set out for her, and continues to strive for more.”
She has already twice accomplished the “Manchu Mile” hosted by the 4th Bn., 9th Inf. Reg.
Soldiers carry a 35-pound ruck and their rifle while completing a 25-mile commemorative march, honoring Soldiers who fought the Chinese Boxer Rebellion by marching over 85 miles to the Battle of Tientsin in 1900.
“Take it from me, they don’t get any easier,” said a laughing Etheridge. “Enduring all 25 miles with your teammates and motivating one another is the deciding factor in successfully completing the march. Between the camaraderie combined with the history behind the event, you naturally find the strength to finish it.”
Etheridge also graduated from the Basic Leaders Course 7th in her class out of a total of 242 Soldiers, setting the bar high for her peers and subordinates.
“The sky’s the limit for me now,” said Etheridge. “I’m fortunate enough to have given myself the opportunities when I did to be where I am today. I’m eager to continue my journey on helping others because that’s just who I am as a person.”
Now assigned to Task Force Manchu, 1st SBCT, at Erbil Air Base, Iraq, Etheridge says she has no plans of slowing down.
“I wonder about my journey and how much I’ve grown,” said Etheridge. “I begin to think of the reward waiting at my destination for all the hard work I’ve put in, but I know I’m far from it. The reward may lead to another path, and that may very well lead to another person in need, making this journey a never-ending reward in itself.”
| Date Taken: | 11.12.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 11.12.2021 08:00 |
| Story ID: | 409227 |
| Location: | IQ |
| Web Views: | 441 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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