Military Baron proudly serves his country

By Catt Phan

[ Photo by Catt Phan

James Fern is standing near the trophy case near the library when I first see him. My first impression of Fern is that he is older than his actual age, but his “Bacon Makes Everything Better” shirt indicates that there’s more to him than meets the eye.

Fern is your average male senior student.  He likes to play video games (his favorites are Starcraft and RPGs like Dragon Age Origin) and eat bacon (“Best food out there.”)

However, there’s more to him than that. Coming from a family of military men, he signed up for the US Army Reserves at the tender age of 17.

“I’ve always wanted to serve my country,” he stated.

Fern has planned to join the army since he was a little kid. He asked his guidance counselor, Mr. Clint Walters, for advice on applications such as the ASVAB, which is a test that all aspiring military personnel have to take “to determine your aptitude on what jobs you can take.”

Currently, Fern is a combat engineer in active duty, a person who disposes of bombs and serves as an explosive expert in an infantry team. His calm demeanor does not change as he tells me that he’s more willing to serve his country in that way.

Despite his love for the army, there have been a few obstacles along the way. One of his worst experiences was his moment at MEPS (Military Entrance Processing Station).

“They say at registration that it’s the recruiter’s job to get you into the military; MEPS job is to get you out,” he said.

However, there have been some shining moments that have made the experience much more enjoyable, such as the first meeting of his unit force. What really stuck with Fern was “seeing a whole bunch of soldiers and being in the military relationship.”

While many of them do not share the same backgrounds, “[we’re] all comrades serving under one flag.”

After high school Fern plans on going to Fort Leonard Wood and, once he’s done, joining the ROTC (Reserves Officer Training Corps), so he can become an officer.

“I would like to spend my last four years in the military as an officer and see if I like it or not and see if I want to stay in the military a little bit longer,” he said.

When asked if his age has hindered his acceptance or application in any way, he answered with a smile that he is picked on by his unit, which happens to everyone. “I’m nicknamed ‘Seventeen,’” he laughed.

When asked him about his opinion on war, it is the first question during which he hesitated. “You can’t really describe it. Never been there myself, but I most likely will. But I think I’ll be going there for my country.”