Photo By Sgt. John Ortiz | A Ch-47 Chinook crewmember assigned to 2nd Aviation Brigade, 82nd Combat Aviation...... read more read more
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LOGAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan – With the massive engines whirring and the verbal sounds struggling to be heard – a right hand was raised to affirm the oath of allegiance for indefinite service to the Army and to the country onboard a CH-46 Chinook hundreds of feet above the Afghanistan landscape.
It was Newport News, Va., native Jeremy K. Schwanke third re-enlistment in the Army and the last.
“This re-enlistment is different because I was able to re-enlist in a helicopter and this re-enlistment makes me go indefinite; meaning I am enlisted in the Army until a time where I have to retire,” said Schwanke, the military police operations sergeant for the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division.
Deployed from Fort Bliss to Forward Operation Base Shank, Schwanke has enlisted three other times, namely switching from a mechanic to a military policeman for his first re-enlistment.
“I decided to re-enlist today because the Army is a great place for me. Throughout the past 12 years, I have given my life to the Army and the Army has paid me back in many ways. I have benefits for my family, they provide me a place to live, they feed me, and I get to travel the world,” he said.
With eight more years to go till retirement, Schwanke is focusing on taking care of his family and his year-old son.
“My wife is all for the re-enlistment because she knows that the Army provides me job security and she will be taken care of. My kid is only a year old, so he doesn't have an opinion right now, but I do know my kid misses me terribly,” said Schwanke. “If he had a say in it, he would not agree with it right now, but as he grows then he will realize the Army has provided us for a bright future.”
For this re-enlistment, the senior brigade career counselor, Master Sgt. Douglas Brown was on hand to ensure everything went according to plan. With the impending draw down of personnel in the U.S. Army, Brown ensures every re-enlistment candidate not only meets basic Army standards, but goes above and beyond.
“In the past, every soldier who is qualified according to regulation is able to re-enlist,” said Brown. “However the Army is now putting more emphasis on quality retention and go beyond the standard.”
Meeting the standard was easy for Schwanke, who has turned in a warrant officer packet to be a helicopter pilot in the near future.
“Re-enlistment means you are committed to what you are doing,” he said. “You are committed to serving the nation and willing to give your life in order to keep the nation free.”
| Date Taken: | 03.07.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 03.08.2012 00:23 |
| Story ID: | 84903 |
| Location: | LOGAR PROVINCE, AF |
| Hometown: | NEWPORT NEWS-HAMPTON-WILLIAMSBURG AIRPORT, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 443 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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