Why do I still serve in the U.S. Army? That’s a good question, and one that some friends and family members continue to ask. To explain where I am and what I do now, I must begin with an explanation of where I started.
I originally joined the Army in 1987. I was a freshman in college, and, like a lot of folks who join the military, needed the extra cash, in my case, to continue my college education and to achieve my goal of becoming a doctor.
I enlisted in the Army Reserve in what was called the “Split-Option Program.“ I went to basic training during the summer after my freshman year in college, returned to school, and then completed my job training as a medical specialist during the summer after my sophomore year.
I enrolled in ROTC during my junior and senior years. When I graduated, I was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Army, was accepted to medical school, progressed through the Army ranks, and, ultimately, graduated with an M.D.
None of this would have been possible if I hadn’t had the extra money to attend and complete college. So, it can be said, I used to serve in the Army for the money.
After completing my internship and residency in pediatrics, I was assigned to Womack Army Medical Center at Fort Bragg, N.C. After three years, my first tour of duty and my obligation to active-duty service was complete. Because I was at a crossroads in my life and career, I stayed in the Army and accepted an assignment in Wurzburg, Germany.
Then, facing the really scary option of turning my lifestyle topsy-turvy and transitioning to the civilian sector, I [again chose to stay Army] and accepted a fellowship in neonatology - medicine dealing with very premature and very sick babies in the newborn intensive care unit, my lifelong aspiration as a physician. I went to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in the District of Columbia and the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., for my subspecialty training and certification. So, it can be said that I continued to serve in the Army for stability.
Now, I am at a point in my career when I can get out of the Army whenever I want to. All of my obligations to serve have been satisfied. Professionally, I am right where I want to be. I can make a lot more money on the outside. It would be an easier life for my family, particularly my children, if I got out.
In this day and age, considering the world climate and deployments to Iraq or Afghanistan being a certainty, why do I still serve?
I do so because I feel what I do is important, that it makes a difference, and that it’s highly relevant.
I still serve as an Army neonatologist so babies can live and have better lives; and, their parents, good people who serve our country, can live their dreams of having a family.
I still serve as an Army officer so my children can have a positive role model in their lives; to teach them that just because things are tough, you don’t give up or give in; and, that with great sacrifice comes great reward.
I still serve so my family will be taken care of in the years to come, and, vainly, so they will continue to be proud of me.
I still serve because I love my job, my family and my country with all the liberties that it affords us.
God bless America!
(Jones is a student at the Command and General Staff College, Fort Belvoir
