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September 17, 2012 - Pfc. Isaac Ware, HHC, 101st Combat Aviation Brigade joined the Army right out of high school to find direction and gain maturity. He is currently deployed to Bagram
Airfield, Afghanistan, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom
XII-XIII. Photo by Army Sgt. Duncan
Brennan
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BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan (10/12/2012) – Pfc. Isaac
Ware is a 19-year-old communications soldier with
Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 101st Combat Aviation
Brigade, now deployed to Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan.
Ware, a native of Stockton, Calif., joined the Army
right out of high school so that he would not make the
mistakes that he saw some of his peers making.
“I had
to grow up fast,” said Ware. “Right out of high school I
knew I couldn't stay a boy. I had to become a man.”
Faced with living in a declining city with a high crime
rate, he was concerned about his safety and his future.
“I did not want to get killed,” said Ware. “Stockton
went bankrupt, and the crime rate was worse than in Los
Angeles.”
Ware intended get out and make a life for
himself.
“I needed a stepping stone,” said Ware. “I
knew the Army could point me in the right direction.”
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Staff Sgt. Stephen McDonald, the unit's server
administrator has worked with Ware for about nine months.
“I've seen Ware start to make the transition to
responsible adult,” he said. “He's done a good job and he
strives to be better than his peers. It's always ‘what can I
do next?' with him.”
The transition to adulthood is
never without its hiccups and Ware was no different.
“He's young, and he showed up to the unit and was scared,
lost and homesick,” said McDonald. “He wants to know more,
not just about the job, but about being a mature adult.”
The efforts of Ware's non-commissioned officers have
made an impression on him for the better.
“Being at
brigade has shown me what the real Army is like,” said Ware.
“I've been shown how non-commissioned officers should act.
They've shown me what taking care of your soldiers really
means and what it means to do meaningful work.”
Being
deployed to Afghanistan has been a positive experience for
Ware.
“I actually like deployment,” said Ware. “If I
could stay here and bring my wife, I'd stay here. I get
worked hard and my NCOs appreciate my work.”
Even
with everything going on here in Afghanistan, Ware often
thinks of his peers that he left behind in Stockton.
“I wish some of the people back home knew what it's like to
be in the military,” said Ware.
By Army Sgt. Duncan Brennan
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2012
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