COLLEGE STATION, TX – In light of the recent escalation between Israel and Iran, newly commissioned Army 2nd Lt. Elizabeth Parker is questioning her decision to accept a four-year Army Scholarship in exchange for six years of service. Commissioned out of Texas A&M University, Lt. Parker planned on serving her minimum time before using the GI Bill to fund her law school degree.
“We’re sitting in the commissioning ceremony, and the speaker is some retired General from the Desert Storm era. All he’s doing is talking about how much the current times resemble his time in service, and all I can do is think ‘What have I done?’ This is not what I signed up for. There’s got to be an out,” said Lt. Parker, as she headed to a celebratory dinner with her family.
When President Biden rapidly withdrew troops from Afghanistan in 2021, it seemed to set a new tone of progressive non-interference in the Middle East. However, as Iran’s posture becomes more aggressive towards Israel, the Biden administration seems to see no other option than increasing troop presence in the embroiled region.
“Did you know I was in a sorority? I only did the Army Reserve Officer Training thing as like…a scholarship program. I just don’t understand how a document I signed when I was eighteen can be binding. My brain wasn’t even fully developed at that age, I didn’t know what I was doing,” Lt. Parker was overheard saying to one of her cadre members at the Army ROTC Battalion at Texas A&M.
While the United States defense posture is constantly evolving, first-time enlistments and officer contracts are at an all-time low. At least our nation can count on people such as Lt. Parker to operate with a service-before-self mentality, as long as the service member is not inconvenienced in any capacity.
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