In 1945, Veterans Day, formally known as Armistice Day, was created in order to honor those who have served in all the armed forces. The Army believes that every Soldier is a “Soldier for Life” both in and out of the Army. A great example of a “Soldier for Life” is retired Sgt. Maj. Jason Lamblin, a native of Saginaw, Michigan, who served over 30 years in the U.S. Army and continues his service as a civilian.
Lamblin said seeing the “Be All That You Can Be” commercials from the Army on television captured not only his attention, but also his imagination and was a large part of why he decided to enlist. Seeing this, paired with the inspiration of his friends from school joining and a family history of service encouraged him to join the Army once he graduated high school.
Lamblin enlisted into the Army in the summer of 1991 and went to basic training at Fort McClellan, Alabama, October 2, 1991. He enlisted as a Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) specialist, which he continued to serve as for the entirety of his military career.
According to Lamblin, when he first joined, he intended to enlist for only four years to figure out his path in life, but the pride of serving his nation is the reason he continued to serve for 30 years.
“I enjoyed the camaraderie, being a part of a team and serving the nation,” Lamblin said. “I never saw myself serving 30 years. I just figured I needed to grow up, so I joined on my own and didn’t do it because of anyone else.”
Throughout his career, Lamblin said he learned maturity and the Army values instilled in every Soldier: loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity and personal courage.
“You come into the Army with the family values you were instilled with, then you gain more,” Lamblin said. “As long as you follow the Warrior Ethos and the Army Values, you can’t go wrong.”
Lamblin career took him to a plethora of duty stations to include, Fort Campbell, Kentucky, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Fort Carson, Colorado, Fort Knox, Kentucky, and finally returned to Fort Carson where he retired. While in Fort Campbell, Lamblin served in the 5th Special Forces Group where he spent five years jumping out of planes and deploying to the Middle East and Africa as a CBRN noncommissioned officer.
Lamblin’s wife Terri Lamblin, a former service member who retired as a Sgt. 1st Class, spoke about his life as a Soldier.
“He loved it, he absolutely loved it,” she said. “Soldiers always surrounded him because he was a vessel of knowledge.”
On November 1, 2021, he was placed on the retirement list with credit for having served 30 years and 29 days of active federal service.
“I continue to serve because I still wanted to feel like a part of the team here at Fort Carson,” he said. “This opportunity would allow me to continue to coach, train and mentor both Soldiers and leaders and share my experiences with them. I still want to be a part of the greatest Army in the world.”
Lamblin chose to call the Mountain Post his home upon retiring, and his son continues the family legacy of service in the Army Reserves.
“I’m proud, absolutely proud. He has always been a mentor and he will continue to be one,” Terri said.
Lamblin currently works as a logistics analyst for the Department of Defense, as a contractor for the 407th Army Field Support Battalion and continues to be a “Soldier for Life.”
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Date Taken: | 11.10.2021 |
Date Posted: | 11.10.2021 18:00 |
Story ID: | 409188 |
Location: | FORT CARSON, COLORADO, US |
Web Views: | 366 |
Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Soldier for life continues service as DoD civilian, by SGT David Davidson, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.