Re-enlisting … oh what a feeling

Published Aug. 7, 2008
By Senior Master Sgt. Thomas Pavlick, Jr.
21st Security Forces Squadron first sergeant

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo -- How many times have you seen or heard, when it's time to re-enlist, an Airman just grabbing a convenient officer and quickly re-enlisting in someone's office without much planning or forethought. When you re-enlist it's not just an act you go through and some words simply repeated - it's a solemn vow and a solemn occasion.

During a 20- to 30-year career, an enlisted Airman has the opportunity to re-enlist only four to six times. Just like when we first enlist we all serve for different reasons. Even the reasons we re-enlist change over time; but one reason is invariably always patriotism. Ask any military person if they feel a sense of patriotism while wearing our nation's uniform and the answer is always a resounding "yes."

From the earliest militia men to today's high-tech warriors, we have answered the call to duty. How else would we have the fortitude to go off to war, finding the strength to leave family members behind, to walk toward an uncertain future, especially when we deploy so often into harm's way? We still do it though. We raise our right hand and pledge ourselves to the Constitution; not to a person, not to the land, but to an idea. If you've ever gotten a tear in your eye when you heard Lee Greenwood singing "God Bless the USA," or chastised someone for not standing during our National Anthem, then you know what I mean. For many, that sense of patriotic pride is what keeps us in uniform, so when deciding when and where to conduct your reenlistment ceremony, why not choose a location befitting the occasion.

When I re-enlisted six years ago, I thought it would be my last time, so I wanted to make it special. Being stationed at Ellsworth AFB, S.D., I took the oath of enlistment at Mt. Rushmore with the faces of some of our great presidents in witness, not to mention quite a few tourists. Just weeks ago, I was given the privilege of serving our nation for a few more years and decided what a more perfect place to start it then atop, "purple mountains majesty" America's mountain, Pikes Peak. What an awesome occasion, with America stretching out as far as the eye could see: a day and an event I will always remember.

Peterson Airman re-enlists on Pikes Peak