Soldier lives dream of serving in military, honors father
\n3d Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) Public Affairs<\/p>\n
BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan (June 16, 2012) – It\u2019s not every day that someone gets to live out their dreams and goals, but for Spc. John Liddle Jr., a member of the 822nd Movement Control Team of the New York Army National Guard, the opportunity to do so is now.<\/p>\n
A native New Yorker who calls Long Island home, the 42 year old father of one is getting the chance to do something he\u2019s always dreamed of, serving his country and honoring his late father.<\/p>\n
The son of a Vietnam veteran, Liddle is a 3rd generation Soldier as his grandfather fought also fought in World War II. He said that their selfless service is what led to his wanting to join the military.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve always wanted to know what my father went through, and overall just thought that joining the military was my calling,\u201d said Liddle. \u201cI\u2019m proud of everything my father did and what our country called him to do. We volunteered for this, but he was drafted.\u201d
\nLiddle\u2019s dream of becoming a Soldier began during his time as a young boy mimicking his father. He explained that during this time, he spent countless hours playing with toy Soldiers wanting to be just like the guys on the war movies and TV shows. <\/p>\n
After years of working as a welder and playing semi-professional football for the Southern Tier Warriors, Liddle\u2019s finally got the opportunity to fulfill his dream.<\/p>\n
At 36 years old, Liddle enlisted in the National Guard as a motor transport operator, the same military occupation specialty as his father.<\/p>\n
Affectionately known as \u201cLids\u201d by teammates and friends, Liddle said that his experiences with sports helped him persevere while dealing with dyslexia, amongst other issues that prevented him from enlisting earlier in life. He compares most of his life experiences to football and feels that his dedication is what has led to him being in his current position.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I get up in the mornings, every day to me is game day,\u201d said Liddle. \u201cWe fight every day in our lives inch by inch, yard by yard until we reach the goal line.\u201d<\/p>\n
After years of not being able to deploy, he\u2019s finally getting the opportunity by serving in support of Operation Enduring Freedom working as an inspector for the 401st Army Field Support Brigade\u2019s ammunition abatement mission. <\/p>\n
Even though this mission calls for Liddle to operate mainly at Bagram Airfield and not on the roads as his military occupation specialty might suggest, he still feels as though he\u2019s making a difference in Afghanistan.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe inspect every vehicle that enters our yard and check for ammunition and anything else that shouldn\u2019t be there,\u201d said Liddle. \u201cWe make sure our battle buddies are safe.\u201d<\/p>\n
Liddle admitted that while he\u2019s proud to be serving, he hit a definite low point when his father passed away just two weeks into his deployment. But even with his circumstances, his father\u2019s words have stuck with him. <\/p>\n
\u201cNot long before my father passed he told me to make sure I come home to him and my mother,\u201d said Liddle. \u201cHe said that he was proud of me and what I was doing. Those words have stuck with me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Liddle said that his future in the Army looks bright as he plans to reenlist later in the year and possibly reclassify as an infantryman. He also plans to continue his career by becoming an active-duty Soldier.<\/p>\n
And while he feels he has many years of football left in him, he said that he may soon plan to retire while jokingly admitting that many of his teammates once played on a peewee team he coached years ago. <\/p>\n
\u201cI like to think of myself like the Brett Favre of the semi-pro\u2019s,\u201d said Liddle, referring to the retired National Football League quarterback. <\/p>\n
Overall, Liddle said that everyone has been supportive of his dream to include his current unit. He admitted that every now and then he gets down when thinking of his father, but that everyone rallied around him to help him get through.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have my days that I really miss my father, but my officers and NCO\u2019s here encourage me,\u201d said Liddle. \u201cBut I know that he\u2019s proud of me for all that I\u2019ve done.\u201d <\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Judging by the picture, he’s a pretty big dude. I would have liked to have him carrying my M60, and he looks like he could tote the tripod, T&E and the spare barrel, too, along with 1,000 rounds of ammo without breaking a sweat.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
At age 42, Spc. John Liddle Jr., a member of the 822nd Movement Control Team of … Spc. John Liddle Jr. and his promise to his father<\/span>Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[130],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30452","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-real-soldiers"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30452","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=30452"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30452\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=30452"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=30452"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=30452"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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