Proud to Serve

March 28th, 2007, by JACKARMY

You wanna know what keeps me in the Army? Truly? I stay because I am surrounded by people like this guy:

To hear Staff Sgt. Andrew S. McMann tell it, being sent to the Air Force Theater Hospital here, simply gave him the free time he needed to re-enlist.

He didn’t bring up that the reason he was in the hospital is that he survived an improvised explosive device just 48 hours previously. McMann, a squad leader with Company B, 321st Engineer Battalion, was leading 1st Platoon on a route clearance mission in the Adolous District of Ramadi on March 23 when the IED went off directly under his vehicle. (source)

Wow. I mean, there is dedication to duty, there is love of country, and then there is this guy. The epitome of all that I strive to be. A leader so dedicated to his job, to his men, to the mission that the earliest opportunity that he could find to reenlist was when he was in a hospital recovering from being blown up. Wow.

SSG McMann, thank you. For serving, for leading, for being committed to the mission.