Fort Bliss Monitor

Soldiers prove military service is family affair

Staff Sgt. Catherine Pauley
2nd Bde., 91st Div. Public Affairs

Sgt. Rachel Lopez and her husband Sgt. 1st Class Roy Lopez are both currently mobilized on Fort Bliss.

Interwoven like the thread in their uniforms, three 2nd Brigade, 91st Division (Training Support) Soldiers each have a story about loved ones – a wife, a husband and a son – preparing to serve or already serving in Iraq.
Army Reserve Soldier Staff Sgt. Lori Ann Souter and her son, Spc. Ryan Souter, have a common thread beyond being mother and son: they both enlisted in the military as seniors in high school. Ryan joined the 1st Battalion, 41st Infantry Regiment in July 2002. One month later, his mothers re-enlisted from a 14-year break to take care of her two sons. “I re-enlisted after my son (Ryan) decided to join the Army,” the Sioux Falls mom said.

Staff Sgt. Souter is a trainer with the 2nd Brigade, here validating the 116th Brigade Combat Team preparing to deploy to Iraq. Validation is the process of ensuring that deploying units demonstrate proficiency in the Forces Command-mandated tasks. As units show competence in each task, they become validated for that subject. She is a co-instructor with Master Sgt. Richard Walker, also a Sioux Falls 2nd Bn., 361st Combat Service Soldier, in the large-scale treatment and evacuation of wounded personnel. Souter said this is a critical piece of training because it could mean the difference between life and death of fellow Soldiers or civilian contractors. Lori Ann has enhanced the training by playing a recording of noises associated with the exercise (helicopter crashing, footsteps, animal noises, etc).

The validation process is important to Staff Sgt. Souter and when talking to Ryan, who deployed to Iraq earlier this year, she quizzes him on his training. “I talk to him about different things now that I’m more aware of the required skills. ‘Are you trained in this?’” she asks her son. “‘Are you trained in medical treatment? Are you a combat lifesaver?’ The things that I want him to know.”

Staff Sgt. Lori Ann Souter, 2nd Bde., 91st Div. (TS), observes Soldiers as they train on First Aid tasks. Souter’s son is currently serving in Iraq.

Spc. Souter, a Bradley gunner, had talked about going to college or going through the military. The 20 year old chose the military – serving a year in Korea – prior to deployment from his current Fort Riley, Kan., duty station. His 18-year-old brother, Todd, also is thinking about the military but has not made a decision. Dave Souter, Ryan and Todd’s dad, said, “It’s Todd’s choice and I’m trying to direct him to make a decision that is good for him.”

Dave Souter is not only trying to fill the “mom” void for Todd but has to fill the void at work, too. He owns his own construction business – Souter & Sons Inc. – and Lori Ann was the bookkeeper prior to her mobilization. Dave, who never served in the military, said of his wife, “I’m just proud of her. She always missed it [the military] and wanted to get back in. She likes the structure.” Reflecting on Ryan’s role in Iraq, Dave said, “I am proud of him. I’m behind him 100 percent.”

Sgt. 1st Class Roy Lopez, a Boise, Idaho-based 2nd Bde., 91st Div. (TS) trainer is closely watching the validation process of the 116th BCT because his wife, Sgt. Rachel Lopez, is a member of the 116th BCT and is going through the training.

Rachel said, “I’m a lot better trained now than I was two months ago when we came over [to Fort Bliss]. I’m a lot more aware and a lot more scared than I was because it’s reality and it’s all coming to life,” the mother of a 3-year-old daughter said. “The training they’ve [2nd Brigade]done for us is great. They haven’t sugar-coated anything and they’ve been upfront and honest.

“They shared some of the fears about us going and some of the real-life things that have gone on. Now we just have to put it all together,” she said.

Sgt. 1st Class Nancy Spivey is married to a Soldier, too. The Sparta, Wis., 2nd Bde., 91st Div., weapon-qualification trainer’s husband, Staff Sgt. Stanley Spivey, is a member of the Wisconsin National Guard, put on alert for mobilization in the October-November timeframe. “We figured his [Stanley’s] unit would be mobilized sooner or later,” Nancy said. “We were just hoping I’d be off duty before he got mobilized.”

A stay-at-home mom prior to her January 2003 mobilization, Spivey wanted to be home with the couple’s children Kelley, 7, and Kyle, 4, before their dad left. Her oldest daughter, Jennifer, 20, is attending college but helps care for her siblings when she can. “The kids are confused because twice they’ve been told mommy is coming home for good and both times it didn’t pan out,” Sgt. 1st Class Spivey said.

These three Colorado Springs-based 2nd Bde., 91st Div. Soldiers are part of a team of more than 700 currently deployed here providing intense training to the 116th BCT. The 91st Div. (Training Support) is organized and staffed to plan, conduct and evaluate training exercises for the Army National Guard, Army Reserve Combat Support and Combat Service Support Units. During its mobilization, the 91st Division assists in the validation of Army Reserve and Army National Guard units in the preparation for deployment.



www.bliss.army.mil	Published for the Fort Bliss/El Paso, Texas Community	August 19, 2004

<map name="boxmap-b4"> <area shape="rect" coords="0, 589, 120, 600" href="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm/privacy-policy.html?o=1" > <area coords="0,0,10000,10000" href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=&creative=92501&camp=8117&link_code=dl1&path=subst/misc/amazon-cobrand-cc/v3/marketing-from-associates-step1.html/ref%3Db1_assoc_29" > </map>	Soldiers prove military service is family affair Staff Sgt. Catherine Pauley 2nd Bde., 91st Div. Public Affairs Sgt. Rachel Lopez and her husband Sgt. 1st Class Roy Lopez are both currently mobilized on Fort Bliss. Interwoven like the thread in their uniforms, three 2nd Brigade, 91st Division (Training Support) Soldiers each have a story about loved ones – a wife, a husband and a son – preparing to serve or already serving in Iraq. Army Reserve Soldier Staff Sgt. Lori Ann Souter and her son, Spc. Ryan Souter, have a common thread beyond being mother and son: they both enlisted in the military as seniors in high school. Ryan joined the 1st Battalion, 41st Infantry Regiment in July 2002. One month later, his mothers re-enlisted from a 14-year break to take care of her two sons. “I re-enlisted after my son (Ryan) decided to join the Army,” the Sioux Falls mom said. Staff Sgt. Souter is a trainer with the 2nd Brigade, here validating the 116th Brigade Combat Team preparing to deploy to Iraq. Validation is the process of ensuring that deploying units demonstrate proficiency in the Forces Command-mandated tasks. As units show competence in each task, they become validated for that subject. She is a co-instructor with Master Sgt. Richard Walker, also a Sioux Falls 2nd Bn., 361st Combat Service Soldier, in the large-scale treatment and evacuation of wounded personnel. Souter said this is a critical piece of training because it could mean the difference between life and death of fellow Soldiers or civilian contractors. Lori Ann has enhanced the training by playing a recording of noises associated with the exercise (helicopter crashing, footsteps, animal noises, etc). The validation process is important to Staff Sgt. Souter and when talking to Ryan, who deployed to Iraq earlier this year, she quizzes him on his training. “I talk to him about different things now that I’m more aware of the required skills. ‘Are you trained in this?’” she asks her son. “‘Are you trained in medical treatment? Are you a combat lifesaver?’ The things that I want him to know.” Staff Sgt. Lori Ann Souter, 2nd Bde., 91st Div. (TS), observes Soldiers as they train on First Aid tasks. Souter’s son is currently serving in Iraq. Spc. Souter, a Bradley gunner, had talked about going to college or going through the military. The 20 year old chose the military – serving a year in Korea – prior to deployment from his current Fort Riley, Kan., duty station. His 18-year-old brother, Todd, also is thinking about the military but has not made a decision. Dave Souter, Ryan and Todd’s dad, said, “It’s Todd’s choice and I’m trying to direct him to make a decision that is good for him.” Dave Souter is not only trying to fill the “mom” void for Todd but has to fill the void at work, too. He owns his own construction business – Souter & Sons Inc. – and Lori Ann was the bookkeeper prior to her mobilization. Dave, who never served in the military, said of his wife, “I’m just proud of her. She always missed it [the military] and wanted to get back in. She likes the structure.” Reflecting on Ryan’s role in Iraq, Dave said, “I am proud of him. I’m behind him 100 percent.” Sgt. 1st Class Roy Lopez, a Boise, Idaho-based 2nd Bde., 91st Div. (TS) trainer is closely watching the validation process of the 116th BCT because his wife, Sgt. Rachel Lopez, is a member of the 116th BCT and is going through the training. Rachel said, “I’m a lot better trained now than I was two months ago when we came over [to Fort Bliss]. I’m a lot more aware and a lot more scared than I was because it’s reality and it’s all coming to life,” the mother of a 3-year-old daughter said. “The training they’ve [2nd Brigade]done for us is great. They haven’t sugar-coated anything and they’ve been upfront and honest. “They shared some of the fears about us going and some of the real-life things that have gone on. Now we just have to put it all together,” she said. Sgt. 1st Class Nancy Spivey is married to a Soldier, too. The Sparta, Wis., 2nd Bde., 91st Div., weapon-qualification trainer’s husband, Staff Sgt. Stanley Spivey, is a member of the Wisconsin National Guard, put on alert for mobilization in the October-November timeframe. “We figured his [Stanley’s] unit would be mobilized sooner or later,” Nancy said. “We were just hoping I’d be off duty before he got mobilized.” A stay-at-home mom prior to her January 2003 mobilization, Spivey wanted to be home with the couple’s children Kelley, 7, and Kyle, 4, before their dad left. Her oldest daughter, Jennifer, 20, is attending college but helps care for her siblings when she can. “The kids are confused because twice they’ve been told mommy is coming home for good and both times it didn’t pan out,” Sgt. 1st Class Spivey said. These three Colorado Springs-based 2nd Bde., 91st Div. Soldiers are part of a team of more than 700 currently deployed here providing intense training to the 116th BCT. The 91st Div. (Training Support) is organized and staffed to plan, conduct and evaluate training exercises for the Army National Guard, Army Reserve Combat Support and Combat Service Support Units. During its mobilization, the 91st Division assists in the validation of Army Reserve and Army National Guard units in the preparation for deployment.