Photo By Brandon Honig | Pvt. John Cho, a new human intelligence collector for the California National...... read more read more
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LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. - For Pvt. Derique Buffin, joining the Army National Guard presented a wealth of opportunity: The chance to get off the streets of South Central Los Angeles, defend his fellow citizens in a way he had always wanted and stay close to home to take care of his sister who has cerebral palsy.
“I was a hellraiser,” said Buffin, 21, of his younger self. “When I was growing up, all my parents wanted for me was to stay off the streets, so when they heard I was going in the Army, they were pretty proud.”
Moses and Tamnika Buffin were among dozens of proud parents in the theater on Joint Forces Training Base Los Alamitos for their soldiers’ battle hand-off Jan. 23, when they watched Derique officially transferred to his new unit after completing boot camp and Advanced Individual Training (AIT). A total of 30 new Cal Guard soldiers were united with representatives from their first Army units that day, representing a variety of missions, occupations and units from all over Southern California.
“To have my oldest son in the military is a great opportunity for his future,” Moses said. “He has a little brother who just turned 18, so he has a role model to look up to, and he has a 14-year-old sister. I hope this starts a tradition [of military service].”
Derique chose the National Guard instead of the active component so he could stay close to home and help take care of his 20-year-old sister who has cerebral palsy. Moses and Tamnika both work, so having Derique available as a part-time caregiver makes a huge difference, they said. Derique also works a warehouse job and eventually plans to go active duty or find a full-time job with the Guard.
When Derique enlisted, Tamnika feared for her son’s safety, and she’s still uneasy about his dangerous new occupation. But Moses assured her it’s for the best: Derique’s uncle died from gang violence in 2001, and Moses is proud his son is not going down that road. Instead, he’s a cannon crew member for Battery B, 1st Battalion, 144th Field Artillery Regiment, in Van Nuys.
“Basically I blow up stuff for fun, and we help out the infantrymen too,” Derique said with a big smile. “We still go kick in doors and all that too, so we get the best of both worlds.”
AIT for Buffin included lots of ruck marches and learning how to carry and load 100-pound rounds. It was hard physical work, and sometimes he wanted to give up, but he learned to do as he was told and “embrace the suck.”
For Pvt. John Cho, who also had his battle hand-off at JFTB Los Alamitos on Jan. 23, AIT was a very different experience. A new human intelligence collector for the 250th Military Intelligence (MI) Battalion in Riverside, Cho said his AIT was more like college, a familiar setting for the senior at the University of California, Irvine.
“We went to classes every day. It was more relaxing compared to other experiences, like the infantry AIT,” said Cho, 23, who lives in Los Angeles. “I honestly didn’t expect much, because the Army is so big, they have to generalize their program to meet everyone’s unique needs, which is hard. But I learned a lot.”
MI is a natural fit for the criminology major, who said he has been fascinated with three-letter agencies – FBI, CIA, NSA – since he was a kid. Cho may apply to the FBI after college or grad school, but he wants to serve in the military as well and continue the tradition started by his father, a former captain in the South Korean Army, and sustained by his brother, a lieutenant in the U.S. Army.
The military also appeals to Cho because it’s a merit-based organization, unlike the private sector, where who you know is sometimes as important as what you know.
“The military is very straightforward: This is what you have to do. Just do it and you’ll succeed,” Cho said. “People who strive for it will get where they want.”
Each of the 30 soldiers at JFTB on Jan. 23 had different reasons for joining the California National Guard, but one motivation links them all: The desire to serve.
“I love the military,” Cho said. “To know that I’m doing what the 99 percent of the nation isn’t doing – to sacrifice – I’m glad that I get to be one of the defenders of freedom and uphold what the U.S. really means.”
| Date Taken: | 02.25.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 02.25.2016 19:14 |
| Story ID: | 190147 |
| Location: | LOS ALAMITOS, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 52 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, A calling to serve: 30 new Cal Guard soldiers make a commitment to their country, by Brandon Honig, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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