FORT WAINWRIGHT, Alaska - Serving in the Army isn’t an easy job. Neither is being a mother. Yet Sgt. Kimberly Pass, a chaplain’s assistant for the 1st Striker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division brigade chaplain, has been doing both for the last eight years.
“Being a mom is definitely the more difficult job,” Pass said. “When you come to work, you have a good idea of what you’ll be doing and how to do it. When you’re raising kids, every day there’s something new — there’s a surprise you weren’t ready for.”
Pass, a native of Statesville, N.C., joined the Army in 2003 and was stationed at Fort Eustis, Va., at Heidelberg, Germany, and at Fort Jackson, S.C., before being assigned to Fort Wainwright.
“I think it’s great that my kids get to travel with me,” Pass said. “It’s difficult when you have to move like we do in the Army, but at the same time, I’m glad my kids will get to experience all these places.”
Although she does admit that raising a military family has its challenges.
“There are always going to be difficulties, like finding child care [or] finding someone you can trust with your kids that you can call last minute when you have to work late or come in early, but the Army is really understanding and supportive when you have kids,” Pass said. “If they’re sick or have things at school, they always give you time to take care of things.”
Even with the pressures of deployments, frequent relocations and a demanding, high-paced work environment, Pass is meeting the challenges and making the most of being a part of a military family.
“I love my job, what I’m doing, and I love being a mom,” Pass said. “You can do both. It just takes a lot of work. It gives you a purpose, being a mom to your kids.”