SERVICE TO HIS FELLOW MAN AND THE WORLD

As a young person, Cameron Ryffel (Idaho 03) was eager to expand his world view and further his academic achievements. However, he knew pursuing a degree in higher education was going to be expensive and the best option was to join the U.S. Army Reserves as a high school junior.

When most high school students are spending their summers working or vacationing, Cameron spent the summer before his senior year at basic training. Upon graduating high school, he attended the University of Idaho. This began his 24-year career (and counting) of service to our country in the United States Army and the Idaho National Guard.

“Initially, I joined as a means to pay my own way for a four-year degree, but continued to serve beyond my four-year commitment because I really enjoyed the adventure and opportunities for personal growth the Army offers,” said Cameron. “I credit a lot of my success in adulthood to my upbringing, the Army and FarmHouse.”

In June 2006, he transferred to the Idaho Army National Guard. He is a major in the Army, and was recently assigned as the air assault battalion executive officer. He is also the Idaho Army National Guard projects officer.

During a typical week, Cameron plans and conducts multiple meetings and publishes statelevel guidance pertaining to operations for all Idaho Army National Guard units. During the summer, he attends large training exercises where soldiers collectively improve their capabilities.

In addition to operational details, Cameron participates in weekly training flights and has flown on Army Apache helicopters. He also travels to meetings and participates in other exercises, domestically and abroad. In the past year, he traveled to Hawaii, Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Washington, Washington, D.C., Poland and Turkey. These trips were to develop training events for soldiers. Beyond his duties, he believes service means much more than a title or role.

After being in the Reserves for more than a year, he discovered men with similar ideas and brotherhood when attending the University of Idaho. However, those men were not in the military dormitories. Those men belonged to FarmHouse. Once he learned about FarmHouse’s version of service, the decision to join was easy. Cameron embraced that alongside the military’s own definition of service.

“The work ethic, discipline and camaraderie were values I was already familiar with and what lead me to join FarmHouse during my freshman year,” Cameron said. “We had men from all academic areas, from a great variety of backgrounds and experiences. No two people were exactly alike, just like life in the professional world outside of college. This really propelled my brothers and me to a higher level of readiness for life.”

“Distilled down to the most basic element, it was the brotherhood of bonding over shared experiences and carrying the load of growth and development. I’ve made lifelong friends and have stories I’ll remember long after the classroom academic teachings have faded from memory.”

Similar to the military, there is a sense of uniqueness to the men who join FarmHouse — working towards a common goal and purpose.

“They aren’t vastly different, both focusing on giving of one’s time for the betterment of their fellow man and their community,” Cameron said.

The most long-term piece of both experiences are the FarmHouse and military connections he has made along the way. Cameron’s willingness to serve has allowed him to meet and make lifelong friendships domestically and abroad. Each summer, these friendships culminate with annual FarmHouse reunions at his home in Boise, Idaho. Brothers gather to share life updates, reminisce about stories from their college days and rekindle the camaraderie they had during their undergraduate years. Mostly, it is a great opportunity to catch up with long-time friends.

His service extends beyond the Idaho Army National Guard and his undergraduate years in FarmHouse. He currently serves on the Idaho FarmHouse Association board in an effort to continue to ensure Idaho and FarmHouse have a strong future.

“I’ve always looked at my career as a long string of opportunities to step forward and volunteer for any task that needs completed,” Cameron said. “Giving more of oneself to an organization or the community than you expect in return.”

Written by Cody Cramer (Oklahoma State 08)

Cameron Ryffel (Idaho 03) smiles in front of an Apache Helicopter.