Courtesy Photo | Sgt. David Williams, a production control manager in Company G, Task Force XII, points...... read more read more
By Sgt. Brandon Little
Task Force XII Public Affairs Office
CAMP TAJI, Iraq – More than four and a half years ago, Sgt. David Williams joined the Army because he owed a lot of money.
Williams, a native of San Diego, was more than $100,000 in debt; not from over charged credit cards or gambling, but from student loans.
"After I graduated from the University of Notre Dame, with a degree in political science, I went to the University of Southern California School of Law and earned a Juris Doctorate," said Williams, a production control manager for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) in Company G, Task Force XII. "My friends from college went on to become lawyers, and I have cousins, who followed in my footstep to law school, who are lawyers."
Although he passed the California bar exam, and his family felt he should practice law, the Army was willing to provide him with something that law firms in his area could not.
"I lived near a naval base, and I saw all of these signs that said the military would pay up to $65,000 of your college loans," he said. "So I talked to a recruiter and he told me that the Army could pay that amount of money and could also send me to Europe."
Being able to be stationed in Europe played a vital role of his decision, he said.
"I spent my junior year of college in Toledo, Spain, and I just fell in love with Europe," said Williams. "It gave me a taste for foreign cultures and made me appreciate how much there is outside of the U.S."
The guaranteed money to help pay his student loans and the opportunity to return to Europe would not have been available if he had decided to join the Army as a commissioned officer.
"It's not a big deal to me because I love my job," he said. "I probably get asked once a week why I'm enlisted if I have a law degree."
"I've known (Williams) for about a month and a half, and I was kind of shocked when I found out about his college background," said Sgt. Aaron Mertens, the lead UAV maintainer in Company B, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division. "I was shocked because I don't think I would have chosen to enlist in the military with that kind of a degree."
Being in the Army has changed his goals in life because it has provided him with many wonderful experiences and the opportunity to meet really amazing people, said Williams.
"Growing up, I thought (being a lawyer) would be the greatest thing, and I didn't think that much about the Army," he said. "Now I think the opposite, I think that (practicing) law isn't that great, and the Army turned out to be a lot more than ever I expected it to be."
When he returns to Germany, Williams says he plans to apply for Special Forces selection or to become a UH-60 Black Hawk pilot.
"It's great that he's going after what he loves to do instead of what everybody expects him to do," said Mertens, a native of Jefferson City, Mo.
"(Williams) is a hard worker who learns quickly, and he's a model Soldier because of his excellent physical fitness," said Capt. Shirwen Separa, the commander of Company G and a native of Rockledge, Fla. "I could definitely see him becoming a company commander, or a first sergeant, one day. It just depends on what route he chooses to take."
Even though Williams, who is on his second deployment, and some of his friends from college chose different paths, they still keep in contact.
"Most of my classmates have jobs that pay well and they get to go home at the end of the day," he said. "If I could live more than one life then that choice would be great, but I've got to be Special Forces, a pilot or something cool because I just like that adrenaline rush. I want to be at the tip of the spear and have a long and distinguished Army career."
Even if Williams decides to use his degree to practice law later in life, the Army gave him what law firms in his area would not ... not just help paying his student loans and a chance to explore Europe, but the unexpected benefit of a new perspective on life. Williams said he wouldn't trade that benefit for the world.
| Date Taken: | 01.20.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 01.21.2008 20:43 |
| Story ID: | 15644 |
| Location: | TAJI, IQ |
| Web Views: | 77 |
| Downloads: | 38 |
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