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Surrounded By Reminders
A day in the life of a Soldier is full of reminders of those gone before.
My alarm goes off at 0500 (5 am) just like it does every single Monday through Friday. The house is dark and quiet. My wife probably won’t be up for another 90 minutes and my kids won’t be up until 0700. Hanging in the bathroom is the same set of clothes I wear every weekday morning. A black shirt with a bright yellow “Army” emblazoned across the front and black shorts with similar lettering. This is what I wear for physical training (PT) every day.
From 0500 to 0600 I drink a cup of coffee, read a bit, and get caught up on the news. Shortly after 0600, I snap a reflective belt around my waist and walk out the door for the short jog to my unit. The post is already a hive of activity as Soldiers who live off post are arriving for PT. I break into a slow jog. In the distance, as the sky begins to brighten, I can see “Warrior’s Walk” the trees are lit from the ground. Each tree represents a service member from the 3rd Infantry Division who was killed in combat in the Global War on Terror. There are 468 trees. Scattered across Fort Stewart are other memorials to the various wars where the 3rd Infantry Division saw combar. Warrior’s Walk is special to me because it’s the war my generation has fought and born the brunt of.
