Courtesy Photo | Idaho Army National Guard 1st Lt. Justin Anderson recently fulfilled his lifelong goal...... read more read more
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After a 20 year break in military service, Idaho Army National Guard 1st Lt. Justin Anderson, reentered the military at 41 in pursuit of his lifelong goal to become a military officer.
“I always knew I wanted to serve again,” said Anderson. “With most of my family self-sufficient and my degree obtained, I felt it was the right time to go back and hopefully retire.”
Anderson originally enlisted into the Marine Corps at 18 to “best” his older brothers who joined the Army and Air Force. As the youngest sibling, Anderson grew up watching his family serve in the military and knew the lifestyle and benefits appealed to him.
“We were raised by a single mom and didn’t come from money,” said Anderson. “When my brothers joined the military I saw they had good lives. I knew it would be a good beginning for me as well.”
He served as an infantryman for four years before leaving to raise his family and start a career in information technology, which is a field he currently remains in as a strategic account manager for Dell EMC.
“It was important for me to be there for my family while they were young because my father wasn’t always there for me,” said Anderson. “I didn’t want to miss them growing up.”
Twenty years later, with his children grown up and a bachelor’s in business under his belt, Anderson decided to enter the IDARNG after speaking with his brother, Sgt. 1st Class Richard Anderson, who also serves in the organization.
In 2014 Anderson commissioned as second lieutenant as one of the oldest individuals in the organization, he said, to complete the IDARNG’s Officer Candidate School.
“I’m the second oldest person in Idaho to go to OCS,” said Anderson. “If I could do it at 41 then it’s never too late for anyone.”
Although older than most junior officers, Anderson never felt his age limited him during training and has since proven beneficial in leading troops and completing missions.
“I offer a good balance of leadership experience on both the enlisted and civilian side,” he said. “That is something I think a lot of people in the National Guard can relate to.”
Since he commissioned, Anderson completed a four-month Basic Officer Leaders Course that qualified him as an ordnance officer. He later served as a platoon leader, company executive officer and recently the S3 operations officer for Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 145th Brigade Support Battalion.
“I have nine years left until I reach my retirement,” said Anderson. “As long as I’m still having fun and liking what I do, I plan on sticking around to hopefully become a battalion commander.”
Although it will be at least another five years before Anderson would receive promotions to captain and then major in order to serve as commander of a battalion, he believes anything is achievable in time and with hard work.
“You can achieve anything within reason if you allow yourself the right amount of time,” said Anderson. “That’s what I always tell me kids.”
Both his sons have decided to carry on the family tradition to serve in the military. His oldest son, Sgt. Sinjin Anderson, currently serves as an infantryman with the 25th Infantry Division in Alaska. His younger son, Caden, plans to enroll in the Air Force ROTC program after he graduates from Capital High School this year.
“I’ve told them they have multiple career options and their books are blank pages,” said Anderson. “But they’ve seen their family have successful military careers and the foundation it’s set for their lives. Plus, its Caden’s goal to have his older brother salute him.”
| Date Taken: | 12.07.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 12.07.2018 17:12 |
| Story ID: | 302663 |
| Location: | BOISE, IDAHO, US |
| Web Views: | 274 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, 20 years later: Idaho Army National Guard Soldier returns to service, earns commission, by Crystal Farris, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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