From the Graduation Program

I Promised Pictures ....

Sam's Platoon











The award group in front of the three Companies.

Sam's award group. Can you pick her out?

The Post Commander, Brig. Gen. James H. Schwitters, addressing the awards group in the tent following the ceremony -- shortly before Isaac gave him a hug.

"Victory Tower" -- it had to be conquered.

PFC Sampson-Jackson with her coins of excellence.

New Address (Revised)

PFC Sampson-Jackson, Samantha A.
B Company 187th Medical Battalion
68X Class 02-07
2051 Harney Rd.
Ft. Sam Houston, TX 78234

Army Goddess (Her edit) Kicks Ass -- the Details

I will add details to the news already broken by bisquit. Sam was voted by the platoons and a panel of drill sergeants as the best soldier in the company (Company C -- approximately 240 soldiers). She had to be elected by the platoons (4 in Company C) and then face a panel of Drill sergeants. One of the Drill sergeants -- not one of hers -- was overheard to remark that they asked her about the levels of protection possessed by a soldier. He said that she gave the standard answer (from the "Smart" book), added the information supplied on the sign outside the drill, and, finally, that she asked if they would like her to elaborate on each level. They said, "No, that's not necessary" and then just shook their heads.

So, out of approximately 720 soldiers and additional drill sergeants, she was among a small group to be honored and to meet in the awards tent with the "brass". That included the post commander, a "general", the post command sergeant major, the brigade commander, and the battalion commander. Each of them gave her a coveted "coin of excellence" and talk to her and us (her family). The drill sergeants were noticeably nervous at being in the presence of a general but Isaac gave him a hug. Some are not at all intimidated.

The Post Sergeant Major spent about 10 minutes talking to her about the importance of her job as a Mental Health Specialist. When she told her own drill sergeant about it later, he was impressed. He said the the Sergeant Major is a legend going back to his service in Delta Force during the Iranian hostage crisis and in every conflict since then.

I will add that the Battalion Commander said that he remembered me from the Holiday leave. He wanted to know where my overalls were. I guess I did make some impression.

I will add pictures when my computer allows. But it was a great graduation. Now she is in San Antonio at Ft. Sam Houston.

Post from Sam -- Reply to Sue

It has only been the reconnection my Gang O' Goddesses that has truly made me feel -- usually, almost but not quite always -- safe with my beauty. Only 4 years ago I hated going into the field because I'd get hit on. Don's love, of course, does wonderful things for me. Always has. Being surrounded by strong women who celebrate and love and support me, who aren't jealous or the least bit intimidated by me, who only want the best for me -- that's done a great deal to truly make me feel safe in my own skin, and not guilty for attracting attention. I'm prosaic enough to know that being attractive is a benefit in my field, and will both (usually) help and sometimes hinder therapeutic relationships. I do still struggle with being on the receiving end of jealousy here though. People bitch that I don't get yelled at the way they do -- at least that jealousy is behavior based, and certainly not about my outward appearance. It's unfair, but I don't feel as guilty about it as I do about other jealousies.

"I Am The Army Goddess" 10 January

We qualified on hand grenades today. I didn't do so good in the first rounds of practice. "CW" stands for "close to wall," but the nickname is "chicken wing." Well, we "chicken wings" got extra practice yesterday, and I just kept going. The DS told me I could stop once I got a couple of practice throws over the line, but I stayed on the practice line until the end, because I wanted to be sure I could consistently throw past the line. It paid off -- I didn't get a "CW" on my helmet today! One of the other DS's -- the Chaplain's Assistant -- asked me if I was nervous when we were lined up and almost ready to throw the live stuff -- I told him, "No, DS, I love this shit!" He blinked a few times .... maybe I shouldn't have cussed at that particular one. He seemed okay with me, though.

Tomorrow is huge. We're going to practice moving as a buddy team, providing cover with live fire while we take turns moving down range. It's going to be fun ...

Soldier Goddess ...

Got a super-sweet card today. I won't go into the details, but it almost made me cry.

Anyway, here's what's goin' on ...

"We did our 2 mile run Tuesday morning instead of Monday, because it was raining. We did all our exercises inside on Monday, which surprised me. Anyhoo, my mondo blister is healing okay, and I managed to jog the whole, entire way (about 25-28 minutes) without stopping. A bunch of females fell out - there are a lot who will not pass their PT tests this Friday. They'll get chances to take it again almost every day until graduation.

I told our 4'11" soldier about you picking me up, and she said, "Oh, I can do that," and threw me over her shoulder and spun me around. I told her, "No, she picked me up like a baby," so she did - briefly. I didn't have the heart to tell her you held me up long enough for photos - send me more, please, btw. Did you get pix of me w/ Macha, my knife?

I hope everybody is well on the outside world. Only a few more weeks until I get to keep up with you guys and dolls w/out this snail-mail delay."

Well, I didn't get any pix of Sam w/ her knife, so if anybody else did, could you mail them to her? Also, she'd love to get pix in general, so send them her way if you've got 'em.
-Kel

Goddess Letter 07 Jan.

One female went AWOL from our platoon. I guess I shouldn't be so surprised that she could be so stupid. Oh well. Everybody has to learn at their own pace.

You know everybody asks how your vacation went when they first see you. I got a little choked up when DSB ask me -- he backed up and said, "Well, i know you had the death in the family, but was the rest of it good?" I told him that was one of those "Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?" kind of questions. He got a kick out of that -- it was a new one for him. ...

Okay .. Friday! 10k road march! While we were packing, I pulled out my ointment and larger bandaids, then decided to streamline. Since I never had a blister problem, I decided to leave them at the bay. Of course, that means I had to get a blister on my heel in the first hour of a 3 hour march, about one inch by 1 1/2 inches. The march was fine, otherwise. It was warm enough for us to be pouring sweat while we marched, and the rain held off during the day. We built little "hooches" with our ponchos and bungee cords -- a few people put 2 or 3 ponchos together and built Taj Mahooches with 2 & 3 levels. We were supposed to dig our "hasties" to sleep in, holes big enough for us to lie in, 18 inches deep at the feet, plus enough room for our 2 rucks to fit behind us. We ended up not doing that, because they didn't want us to drown. We spent the day practicing the real soldier stuff, like clearing buildings, moving in squads through the woods and searching for (or accidentally setting off) IEDs, operating checkpoints and searching people. The DS who was the enemy driver had a good time giving us a hard time, too, fighting back and showing people exactly why they had to stand back with their weapons if they were guarding.

It started raining on us when we were doing "Nick at Night" (Night Infiltration Course). That was way cool, crawling under barbed wire while they shot over our heads, even in the pouring rain. There was a little thunder and lightning before it rained, but more during the downpour. When we went to our hooches to get our clothes, the skies absolutely opened up, and we had to slog through ponds to get back to the Lightning Protection Area where we slept on a concrete pad under cover. We stayed half-way dry, almost. I almost slept a bit, too, between shivering and trying not to pee in my sleeping bag.

Saturday was more training. They used all kinds of cool stuff -- smoke canisters, simulated artillery rounds that whistle like incoming fire and then go bang, and just loud booms. Our platoon got gassed, but I never did -- that was almost a let-down, because I really wanted to see how we all did. I'm sure we'll get our share during Victory Forge. We did get to shoot blanks -- that was fun!

For Victory Forge, we'll use gear like laser tag with our blanks, so we'll really know if we take somebody out ... or get killed ourselves.

I love you, my Darling. Less than 3 weeks until I see you again!!!
Your best wife.

Why Does She Do It?

I thought a lot (almost five minutes) before attempting to answer this question that so many ask (even if not out loud). I read many military support sites (like the yahoo group for "New Military Wives") and they often mention the difficulty of maintaining relationships with "civilian friends." One thing I note is that they don't have the kind of friends Sam does -- friends who stand by each other even if they believe the friend to be making incredibly stupid decisions.

Still, why would someone who is far from conservative in her politics join the Army at a time of war created by a President for whom she never voted and whose policies she despises? Perhaps for my own benefit, I'm going to try to answer the question. I will, however, skip over the rhetoric about patriotism and freedom (although they do come into consideration). Let's keep it personal.

Those of you who knew Sam from high school knew of her interest in JROTC. It was not just to hang out with the cool kids in fatigues. She enjoyed the discipline and focus. It is an interest bred in her. Her father and grandfather had military backgrounds. But, of course, that also meant that she was exposed to the feelings (often negative) of the spouses of absent military members.

Sam takes great pride in tracing her family heritage to the pilgrim days. During the Revolutionary War, her ancestress Deborah Sampson became an American hero by fighting while disquised as a man. Love for this country and for the military that gained its freedom and defends it is an integral part of her character.

In addition, Sam has also been drawn to the "caring professions." She has always wanted to major in psychology, understand better about human motivations and actions, and help people with their problems. Having benefited from counseling herself, she wants to be a helper for others. In both volunteer work and jobs, she has worked with children, teenagers, and elderly adults. In the last few years, she learned that she really doesn't like doing it with the elderly (stop giggling, I'm serious here). She has more interest in teenagers and young adults. Ultimately, she would like to become a psychologist and work with them. The Army makes it possible for her to do both at the same time.

Moving to more psychological motives (that she might even deny), I think it is important to Sam to prove herself in a world that doesn't base success on outward appearance. As many beautiful women do, Sam has often found her beauty to be a hindrance to her intelligence. She hates for people primarily to speak of her looks when they remember her. In the Army, she is in uniform (even if she does make that uniform really look great). She is part of a unit that must work together and looks have nothing to do with their success.

To combine these motives, in the Army, Sam is able to live the disciplined military life that she desires while helping people. Her commitment is to the soldiers serving in that military. There are over 140,000 soldiers deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. They are on the frontline in a war of cultures and ideologies that, I believe, will ultimately lead to a greater war. She is not interested in only collecting a paycheck (she could certainly do better elsewhere) or staying behind the scenes to allow others to do the harder, more dangerous work. She is proud to be a soldier and willing to serve wherever her talents are needed. She has given her children and me, the 20 years since she left high school. Now, we are in a position for her to give her life and talents to serve a greater good -- that of the U.S. Army soldiers. And that is what gives me pride to be able to support her in fulfilling that dream.

Sam's Graduation Information

Dear Family and Friends of Soldiers assigned to A Company, B Company, C Company, 3rd Battalion, 34th Infantry Regeiment (3-34 Inf Regt) [How's that for a personal greeting!]

You and your guests are invited to attend the graduation events at Fort Jackson, South Carolina on January 25th and January 26th, 2007. ... The Family Day Welcome Ceremony will occur on Thursday, January 25, 2007. ... Beginning at 8:30 am, there will be an information meeting in the SAC for married Soldiers and their spouses assigned to A/B/C companies. ... Your soldier will be authorized an on post pass this day, allowing you to spend the day with your Soldier while experiencing the amenities and military life on the installation [Oh Goody!].

The Graduation Ceremony will take place on Friday, January 26, 2007 at 10:00 am on Hilton Field. ... We expect to graduate about 650 Soldiers from this Battalion. Soldiers accompanied by immediate family may again be granted a pass to visit the surrounding Columbia area. (Note: While on pass, your Soldier must remain in uniform and is not allowed to drive vehicles, drink any form of alcohol or use any tobacco products. Soldiers must return to the barracks no later than 8:00 PM).

For Biscuit --- How to do the Hair Bun

The Army Has Her Again

Got Samantha back to Ft. Jackson about 11:00AM on Thursday. What a leave visit!!!! But we survived and things are back to normal. I commented to her how it seemed so "normal" while she was at home but I realized that, at least for the next six months, that normal is what we are now experiencing. The kids and I got back home about 6:30 pm tonight. I feel like I have lived in the car over the last week. I have never been so glad to have the holidays over (even thought it meant Sam going away).

But, on the other hand, we had some great times with old friends. Thanks to all of you for making it so special.