By Emily Russell
Joint Task Force Guantanamo Public Affairs
GUANTANAMO BAY, CUBA – After 22 years of military service, Army Command Sgt. Maj. Theodore Trahan is ready to retire from the Military Police Corps, but not without the lessons he's learned throughout his career.
"I cut my teeth as a young NCO in the 82nd Airborne Division," Trahan said. "[Ft. Bragg] is close to my heart. Some of the styles and attributes I have today I'm certain are from growing up there."
Work hard, play hard has always been a theme throughout his career. As a non-commissioned officer with the the 82nd, it was a code Trahan and his peers lived by.
"It was an environment that made you become stronger as an individual, because if you didn't step up, you wouldn't make it," he explained. "If you didn't know how to do something, you checked on it and you practiced it. There was no second-guessing."
Trahan spent approximately seven years with the 82nd. During this time he served in numerous positions, from M-60 gunner to team leader, squad leader and platoon sergeant. "I held every position within that company," he added.
"Jay Fowler, Command Sergeant Major of the 525th Military Police Battalion, and I were squad leaders in the paratroopers for a couple years together," Trahan continued. "I always joke, 'He was the second-best squad leader in the company ... next to me.' [However], he was the best guy, I thought. I learned a lot from him whether he knew it or not. We were both young and arrogant but watched each other from a distance.
"It's funny how things work out in your career – here we are working together again."
Trahan didn't always see his stint in the Army as a long-term commitment.
"Early on I thought, 'let's just see where this career takes me,'" he said. "There was a point in time where I considered [getting out]. I was levied for recruiter duty. It wasn't what I wanted to do. I didn't want to be a salesman for the Army.
"It ended up being a great assignment," Trahan continued. "I learned about myself, time management ... and how to talk to people ... as opposed to talking at people. I was a little rough around the edges in my younger days."
In terms of influence and success, Trahan credits his wife as his driving force.
"I came into the Army with no college [education] and now I have my master's degree," he noted. "When I met [my wife], I had only been in for about four years. I was good at what I did, but I wasn't exceptional. She drove me to do things that made me stronger as an individual, like getting an education. She encouraged me to not accept anything less than the best I can offer."
Working at Guantanamo put Trahan in an environment he never experienced before.
"Detainee operations are different here as opposed to down range," said Trahan. "[Here] you learn the dynamics of the other services working in a joint environment. I've come to take the best from each branch."
This realization hit Trahan before arriving at Guantanamo. While deployed to Afghanistan, he came across a Navy lieutenant, a submariner, who was working non-stop to fix Army equipment that essentially was saving the lives of the Soldiers who used it.
"I realized this is not just an Army gig. It doesn't matter what service [a trooper] belongs to – we're all in this War on Terror together," he said. "[Guantanamo] has made me appreciate the troopers even more and has made me a well-rounded individual."
As Trahan's duty comes to an end, his reflection over his career has highlighted a few important lessons he's learned as a Soldier, a leader and most importantly a non-commissioned officer.
"Be true to yourself and be honest," Trahan said. "Be a positive influence and a role model."