As a student at Blytheville High School, Rosie Pease wasn't sure what she wanted to be when she grows up. Although she's still not certain, she knows it will have some connection to ammunition.
Pease joined the Army at 17. She first went to South Carolina for basic training, then to Alabama for ammunitions training. She's now an ammunitions specialist at Fort Lewis, Wash.
In July, she will go overseas to work in Kandahar, Afghanistan.
"I'm excited about the experience and the pay," Pease said during a recent visit to Blytheville.
Her job is classified as a supply job, and she hands out ammunition to her fellow soldiers for training exercises. In Afghanistan, she knows some of the ammunition will be used to injure or possibly kill people, but she knows what she's getting herself into.
"I made a choice to join the Army while there's a war going on," Pease said. "I put myself in the situation."
The physical part of basic training was difficult, she said. "It was tough at first, but I would do it all again," she said.
The training she has received and the opportunities she'll have in the future will be worth her physical pain and the homesickness she's sure she'll experience, she said. While stationed in Kandahar, Pease will be able to take classes online to pursue a degree. She's considering either a business degree or some field of the culinary arts.
Or, she may just make the Army her career, she said, because it's been such a positive experience for her.
"It's taught me respect for people," she said. "It's taught me about loyalty and how to be in the right place at the right time."
Pease's experiences have been so good that she recommends the Army for everyone.
"Every kid should go to the Army right after high school," she said.
Pease chose the Army because it offered so many opportunities, and it's vast array of training can make any resume look impressive, she said.
At 17, her dad, Don Pease of Blytheville, had to sign so she could join the Army. Her mother, Gail Gee, lives in Florida.
Pease will have to stay in Afghanistan for at least a year and possibly even 18 months or more, Pease said. "My whole unit is going," which is a good thing because "I've made many great friends," she said.
"I've been with them for two years," she said of her unit.
She is not looking forward to the weather in Afghanistan. "I'm dreading the temperature extremes," she said. Temperatures soar during the day, but drop to extremely low levels at night. Most of the area around Kandahar is considered to be desert or semi-arid, but mountainous in some areas.
The base at Kandahar is one of the largest military bases in the region, she said. "It's a highly secure area."
Whether she will re-enlist after her overseas tour is done or not, Pease said she would like to remain connected to the military. "Whatever I do in my life, it will revolve around the military," she said.
For now, she's happy to have the opportunities offered to her. "Some people may feel that women don't belong in the military, but women do their own part" to help the effort, she said.
"I'm just proud to serve my country."
dhilton@blythevillecourier.com