Mihail Kogalniceanu, Romania -- Spc. Jordan West, with 62nd Expeditionary Signal Battalion from Fort Hood, Texas, provided support at Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base, Romania, during the Atlantic Resolve rotation from May to July, 2019.
West joined the Army on April 10, 2017 to become an Information Technology Specialist. Only after signing his contract did he find out that he had chosen the same job his father had chosen. The family tradition continued through West.
"I didn't know what my dad did,” West said. “I picked it because I like computers.”
1st Sgt. West retired in August of 2018 after 24 years in the Army. Spc. West’s aunt is still in the Army and has done thirty years, so far. Spc. West is following his family's footsteps and the family tradition.
"I felt like I was pretty stagnant in life and the Army was a good place for me to grow as a person,” he said.
Even though Spc. West comes from a military family, he said he was never pushed into the tradition. It was a personal decision for him to become a better person.
"I'm more disciplined, I take more responsibility for my actions, and I'm able to do more overall,” he said. “To me, the Army is about responsibility and adulthood."
The Army tradition brought out a lot in Spc. West that he said he is thankful for. The Army allowed him to meet new people and see new cultures, but it became a double-edged sword when he has to move and leave the friends that he has met behind. He found this very difficult as a child.
"I've moved around a lot,” he said. “I've been to the Netherlands, Virginia, Colorado, Florida, and once I went to Disneyland in Paris one time.”
West still travels with the Army, although no longer a child, he said has a better outlook on traveling and exploring.
“In Afghanistan, I was in Bagram, shorab, Kandahar, and Dwyer,” he said. "At the time, I was helping people get accounts and fixing their emails. It was just basic stuff for what people need in order to do their job."
Although West has found that an IT Specialist isn’t one of the most awe-inspiring jobs, it does allow him to work with computers, and pursue his interests.
"I’ve always been big into technology and I’ve always been a big nerd,” he said. “I play a lot of games. I always found myself on youtube looking up the latest and greatest processors and stuff like that. So, I thought I might as well make a cool career out of it.”
The traditional Army has evolved and changed to stay with the times, especially when it comes to technology. New and exciting opportunities have arisen as well.
During West’s time deployed, it was not all austere environments. Even in the harshest deployed conditions, Soldiers can still find ways to have fun. West mentioned that he played video games during his deployment, games such as Dark Souls.
His passion for video games led him to the Army eSports, and he is a big fan. Although he doesn’t believe he is good enough, it is an opportunity any Soldier can strive for and try to make the team.
The United States Army eSports Team is a competitive team where members are drawn from Regular Army and Army Reserves. It is a team that demonstrates the Army’s evolution into modern times and the opportunities the Army makes for its Soldiers.
However, West has bigger plans for the future as of now. He is planning to go to the board and get promoted from specialist to sergeant as soon as possible. He wants to continue his growth as a U.S. Army Soldier and continue shaping the Army to be ready for the future.