RISE
Life Goes On, Walk Like You Anthony Kolodziejczyk Have Purpose When Sergeant Sean Regan had Marine recruiters come to his home during his last year of high school, his parents expressed their dissatisfaction with his ambition of joining the military. His parents immediately expelled under the pretext “you’re going to college.” Yet, Regan described his desire to join the military as an “itch” that must be scratched. He was conflicted as he wanted to pursue his military career but did not want to disappoint his parents. Ultimately, Regan decided that it was possible to do both. After attending college for about one year, he joined the military to satisfy his “itch.” Regan joined the Army, serving as an E-5 sergeant. After about one year in the Reserve, he decided to become full-time active duty. He wasn’t satisfied by the Reserve; he still had to “heal that itch” he had since high school. Sergeant Regan’s opportunity finally came as he served for nearly two-and-a-half years with the 101st Airborne Division, before being sent to Korea with the 2nd Infantry Division. During his first tour to Korea, Sergeant Regan’s initial twelvemonth assignment turned into a nearly fifteen-month tour during the First Gulf War. Following a request to be reunited with the 101st Airborne Division, as they “were his brothers going to war,”
the Army denied his request, which resulted in a lengthened tour. He was classified as a “shorttimer” as he did not have enough time left in service to go back stateside with his former unit. In hopes of finding another opportunity, he reenlisted with his retention officer. Since the end of the Gulf War was near, there were not many service opportunities left, and Sergeant Regan decided to leave the Army. Before his assignment to Korea, Regan sought to attend Officer Candidate School (OCS) and then flight school. At the time, his commanding officer had suggested waiting until the next board to ensure he would be ready for it, to which Regan agreed. However, he received a letter four weeks later that detailed his reassignment to Korea, which ended his dreams of OCS. Sergeant Regan reflects that his experiences in the military were both positive and negative. While he was discontented with his assignment to the 2nd Infantry Division in Korea, he enjoyed the military training. What’s more, he learned many valuable life lessons through the Esprit de Corps, in which it educated him on how to handle the crests and troughs of life. Furthermore, the Army taught him how to overcome hardships with intense perseverance. 5 June 2018