Mom and Daughter Tackle Tour In Iraq
(March 30, 2011) |
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Capt. Carmen Nicely
traveled to Contingency Operating Base Speicher
to promote her daughter Spc. Christina White
from the rank of private first class to
specialist on March 13, 2011. The two Soldiers
are members of the 3rd Battalion, 116th Cavalry
Regiment, 3rd Sustainment Brigade, 103rd
Sustainment Command (Expeditionary). Courtesy
Photo |
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Contingency Operating Base Speicher, Iraq
(3/28/2011) -- Not many Soldiers close off a
conversation with another command post by
saying, ‘Love you, Mom.'
That farewell,
however, is a familiar one for a mother-daughter
duo in the 3rd Battalion, 116th Cavalry
Regiment, 3rd Sustainment Brigade, 103rd
Sustainment Command (Expeditionary).
Capt. Carmen Nicely and her daughter, Spc.
Christina White, are in a unique position in
Iraq. Both soldiers are members of the same
battalion and work in the often high-stress
environment of the command post.
White
functions as a battle noncommissioned officer
for the 3rd Battalion's C Company at Contingency
Operating Base Speicher.
Meanwhile,
Nicely functions as a battle captain for the
battalion Tactical Operations Center situated on
JBB.
The two are in contact almost daily,
especially when significant acts occur out on
the roadways where 3rd Battalion soldiers escort
convoys. |
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“It is really neat,” Nicely said. “I get to say, ‘Hey, can
you give me an update on a spot report?' Then I can say,
‘I'll talk to you later. Love you.'”
The common bond
between mother and daughter was evident recently when Nicely
traveled to COB Speicher to
help Christina celebrate another key milestone; her
promotion to specialist.
Nicely walked into the
command post, stood before her daughter and pulled her rank
as a private first class off her Army Combat Uniform jacket.
She then placed the rank of specialist on and hugged her.
Like any parent, Nicely said she was very proud of her
daughter.
“Just to see her face when I walked into
the room was worth it,” Nicely said. “She is so deserving.
I'm happy to be a part of it.”
Nicely's arrival at
the C Company command post was a surprise to White but a
pleasant one, she said.
“Getting to see her is a
present in itself,” White said. “My mom is like my best
friend.”
White comes from a military family. Her
mother is a captain and her father is also an officer in the
Iowa National Guard. However, White said she wasn't
initially interested in the military.
“At first, my
opinion of the military was I hated it,” she said. “Then, I
realized it was something to help me out in the future. It
also opened my eyes to diversity.”
Nicely said her
own experience in the military helped her emotionally when
her daughter decided to enlist. Nicely entered the U.S. Army
as an enlisted soldier before going to Officer Candidate
School. She said she was very familiar with the challenges
associated with a military career and encouraged her
daughter to give her best.
“[The military] has been
good for me and I've learned a lot by being a Soldier,”
Nicely said. “Why not try it? Struggle makes people
stronger.”
Nicely said she can see the positive
effect the military made in her daughter's life.
“She's obviously more confident and she has matured very
quickly and taking her job seriously,” Nicely said.
The fact that her mother is on a base in Iraq is not the
only unique aspect to White's tour. She is also married to a
soldier in C Company. She married Cpl. Thomas White in
September, just before the battalion left Oregon for its
deployment training. Cpl. White is a truck commander in C
Company's 2nd Platoon.
Spc. White said she is happy
that both her mother and husband are nearby while she serves
her tour in Iraq.
“I don't get a lot of mail,” she
said. “I don't get a lot because my family is here. My
significant other is here and my mom is at a nearby base.” |
By Army 3rd Sustainment Brigade
Copyright 2011 | |
Provided
through DVIDS
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