Subscribe
To Jail and Back Again: resiliency and then some
By Jessie Perkins
Kirtland Public Affairs
Master Sgt. Nathaniel Reed has a love for the Air Force that started at a young age. His father, both grandfathers and stepfather had all served in the Air Force. He was in the Air Force ROTC in high school and knew the minute he graduated he was going to enlist. The Airman firefighter has served with distinction for nearly 18 years, recently adding an Air Force Inspection Agency Enlisted Inspector of the Year to a litany of awards and decorations. But it didn’t start out this way.
While deployed to Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia, in 2000, Reed conspired to commit and committed larceny and fraud. He was convicted and court-martialed under Articles 81 and 121, serving brief periods of confinement and hard labor; and a reduction in grade. Unlike most Airmen convicted under the UCMJ, he returned to duty. The desire to earn back the trust of his fellow Airmen has fueled his service and distinguished his career ever since.
Resurrecting his career and putting his life back together meant getting through some very dark days, Reed explained.
“On deployment and with no support system—you’re basically ostracized--having to call home and explain to my family why my tour was being extended was extremely difficult,” Reed said.
As he considered the implications of what he called “the worst mistake I ever made,” he had suicidal ideation.
“There was a point where I’m like, you know what? Maybe my family would be better off if I just, you know, hung myself,” he said.
Anticipating a bad conduct discharge and/or denied reenlistment, Reed despaired.
“When you are alone and you have no one to talk to and you’re worried about what’s going to happen, your mind can really go to dark places,” Reed said.
Still he held on. The court martial ultimately returned him to duty and began he began overcoming obstacles one at a time. While waiting to return to home station, his first sergeant called to say he was determined to put Reed out of the Air Force.
As a first term enlistee he was still facing a possible administrative separation and a referral EPR. It looked as though his career would soon be over.
“You may have survived a court martial but I want you administratively discharged,” the shirt told him.
Upon returning home he received an initial counseling from his new supervisor offering a glimmer of hope.
“You did the crime, you’ve done the time’,” Reed recalled the NCO telling him. “I’m starting you out with a clean slate, now show me what you can do--show the Air Force that you’re worth saving.”
Knowing that everything he did was going to be a deciding factor in his ability to remain in the Air Force, Reed started doing everything he could to prove himself. He took every opportunity inside the base fire department and across the base and in the community to try and regain the trust of his peers. He said that it was a type of therapy at the time which helped him remain focused. After all, a possible negative discharge loomed.
“I felt like I was on the chopping block” he said.
In a short period of time, he was named Airman of the quarter. Even though he was showing leadership he was salvageable, a referral EPR with a rating of 2 was being circulated. Like he did in confinement, Reed starting pouring over AFIs and determined that a referral was mandatory, but the 2 rating (killing his chances for reenlistment) was not. He appealed and the EPR was upgraded to a 4. He went on to reenlist and has since ascended in rank and responsibility.
Still, the conviction has necessitated waivers for various assignments, and Reed has had to work around it through the years. Because of his honesty and accomplishments, commanders and supervisors have been willing to take a chance on him.
Additionally, Reed has proved to be an asset by helping other Airmen in trouble.
“Young Airmen get in trouble--it happens--and it usually leads to a downward spiral,” he said.
He uses his experience as an opportunity to reach troubled Airmen.
“Hey, it’s not the end of the world,” Reed said, recalling his own rebound from a seemingly hopeless situation. “Yes, you have to deal with the consequences of your actions. Buy what you do from that point forward is all that matters. It can seem like the end of the world, but you can take the responsibility, and move past it.”
His message to anyone who finds themselves in trouble or is feeling hopeless is that “there is light at the end of the tunnel.”
“This is not the end of the road. It’s only the end if you choose it to be,” Reed said. “If you lay down in the dirt you’re going to continue to stay there. But you can pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and move forward.”
As Reed contemplates his career beyond the Air Force, his is working to get an official pardon, giving potential civilian employers further context for his conviction and the trust he reestablished with the Air Force. Whatever happens, and whatever challenges lay ahead, Reed knows he can get through it.
“Knowing what I’ve survived, I’m not going to let it keep me back from doing what I love and continuing to work,” he said.
| Date Taken: | 09.11.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 12.27.2018 15:38 |
| Story ID: | 305431 |
| Location: | ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO, US |
| Web Views: | 111 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
This work, To jail and back again: Resiliency and then some, by Jessie L Perkins, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
