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CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE BASRA, Iraq – Spc. Rebecca Throop, currently deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom as an intelligence specialist with 34th Red Bull Infantry Division and Multi-National Division-South, has had a series of stops and starts to her military career that ultimately led to her service here.
The 2001 graduate of San Manuel High School in Arizona said she joined the U.S. Army after completing a year of college at University of Arizona in Tucson and Central Arizona College in Coolidge.
“I wanted to put off life for a little while,” Throop said. “I had college credit from high school, so I was basically a junior by that time.”
She enlisted in the Army on active duty and completed basic combat training at Fort Jackson, S.C. in 2004. Throop attended advanced individual training at Fort Huachuca, Ariz., which allowed her to go home on the weekends once she was allowed to have passes. Through all of this, Throop dated her husband, Martin, who she said was not happy with her being away with the military.
“After I graduated from AIT, I received orders to move to South Korea,” said Throop, who graduated from University of Arizona with a bachelor’s degree in history in 2007. “Martin and I were married two days before I left.”
Throop was scheduled to serve three years in Korea, but a visit from her husband near the end of her first year changed all that. “I became pregnant with our first child during his visit,” she said. “I was given a Chapter 8 discharge from active duty and sent home.”
Upon her return to Arizona, Throop continued her military career in the U.S. Army Reserve, where she served one year before transferring to the Individual Ready Reserve. She also served a year in the Arizona National Guard before returning to the IRR, where she intended to spend the rest of her military contract.
However, Throop received a call in February asking how her deployment was going, which confused her.
“Deployed?” Throop asked. “I had no idea I was deployed!”
Throop, who teaches sixth grade at Willcox Middle School in Willcox, Ariz., began frantically making phone calls to find out what was going on, and found out that she had indeed been called up from the IRR to deploy with 34th Inf. Div. The only problem with this was, her orders were effective as of Jan. 11, which meant she was a month late finding out.
“I was technically a failure to report,” Throop said. “It turns out my orders were sent to the wrong address, which is why I never got them.”
Throop managed to work everything out and report for duty. She said at first she had fear for her daughters, Emily and Adrianna, who are ages 4 and 2, respectively. She didn’t know how they would handle not having their mother at home for such a long time.
However, Throop said everything sort of fell into place following the confirmation she received that she would be deploying. Family and friends have rallied around the Throops to make things easier on everyone.
“I am a Christian and I believe everything happens for a reason,” Throop said. “I am here for a reason. It helps that I have an amazing support system of parents, family and friends who have gathered behind us. Also, Martin is very supportive of me.”
Throop said her girls are doing well, all things considered. “I have a laptop and I have Skype so I can see them a couple of times a week,” she said. “This is particularly important for my youngest, who is having a hard time not having her mom around.”
Throop said her concerns for her family were just one part of having to mentally and emotionally prepare for her deployment. Having to switch from being in civilian status for much of her career to jumping right into the game with both feet left her wondering how she would handle things. However, she has also found a strong support system within the 34th Inf. Div.
“I still struggle day-to-day feeling I’m not Soldier enough for this,” Throop said. “But I work with a lot of very caring people who have taken good care of me since I got here.”
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