“We ended up going to Ferrell Lake to do some engineer training with boats and rubber rafts,” Lt. Col. Thomas Miller said. “When you put that many Soldiers who have been out in the field for 10 days, near water, on a hot day … we misbehaved.”
Miller and his classmates still remember fondly the day they jumped out of the boats, played in the water and let their hair down – until the smoking, at least.
Now, 20 years later, Miller and six of his classmates will take memories of MMA Class 33 with them to the sands of Iraq, as they all deploy with the 34th Red Bull Infantry Division.
The seven deploying are: Lt. Col. Kenneth K. Degier, Lt. Col. Steven S. Hanson, Lt. Col. Thomas J. Miller, Maj. Steven E. Jacobs, Maj. Ronald D. Joyce, Chief Warrant Officer Richard A. Pomrenke and Chief Warrant Officer Cheryl L. Townsend.
They are deploying as part of a Division Headquarters that will be operating in a sector of Iraq roughly the size as the state of Minnesota.
The seven met in 1988 while attending MMA Class 33, a 16-month state Officer Candidate School that took place on 14 weekends and two, two-week annual training periods.
“It is not for the faint of heart,” said Miller. “It’s a challenging program. You really come out treasuring the relationships you have with your classmates.”
Two decades later, those in the seven not only remember the bonds forged during their training, but also relish the upcoming deployment.
“The best part was the camaraderie and learning to soldier with a group of Soldiers like this,” said Hanson, now the Special Troops Battalion commander. “It’s like old home week, soldiering with this group again.”
Like a certain June day 20 years ago, Miller and his classmates are all in the same boat, and once again they plan on enjoying it.
FORT LEWIS, Wash. - The day before graduation was muggy, hot and humid. The 125 officer candidates of the 