Rough draft #2

Antione Frazier served honorably in the U.S. Army from 1989-1996. During these years, he served in combat in the Gulf War, August 2, 1990 – February 28, 1991. With being a young soldier from East Cleveland, he continued to grow Army strong.

Antione Frazier experienced things that not everyone faces on an everyday base. Starting from the day his father left his family, to a senior in high school who didn’t have any the knowledge or ability in applying to colleges or proper guidance to lead him into being a success in his future. “I felt like I was the only person who had my own back. I had a 3.8 GPA but didn’t have family support or encouragement from them. “I didn’t receive that continuous motivation that a young man should have when he gets to High school.” “Most parents at that time was happy you made it that far!” He states; “I didn’t quite fully understand what I was doing wrong if anything, but I knew I had to leave East Cleveland”.

Frazier’s only way out of his unknowledgeable family and detreating neighborhood, was to take an independent step and travel downtown the federal building where he then swore into the military without his mother’s consent. It exposed a lot of emotions from his mom in the household whom later found out by an employer/friend who worked in the building. Despite the challenges he had to face from the time he made a legitimate decision to the time he left, he still stood his ground. “In this life, you’re going to have to make your own path and find your own answer. You live and you learn, but what is most important is as you go on with life, you have to put your mind into it and then you’ll become successful. It’s the simple things that bread success; the little things that make it last” Frazier stated

Being in the Military taught him values and how he made decisions.

My first combat call wasn’t planned, “I wasn’t scared, I was just in disbelief…. fear came later, and then my face was stuck like a deer in head lights”. “Back then”, Frazier stated, “they trained us for things could or could not happen”, meaning it wasn’t realistic to fear terrorist attacks or getting deployed in different countries, especially desert environments. That Army, that equipment, wasn’t built for that. “Now days, its reality, all training is legit for the time…period”

My first unit would be my first live combat unit. I was part of The 1st Armored Division (Old ironsides) out of Germany our designation was 123rd Main Support Battalion and in December 1990, deployed and served with distinction in support of the 1st Armored Division during Desert Storm. Upon return from Southwest Asia, the Battalion inactivated on 22 November 1991 at Monteith Barracks-Feurth, Germany. On 8 January 1992, the 123rd Main Support Battalion was again reactivated.
I was a 27Mike, Missile Technician, I supported the MLRS system and all the great things we did in the dessert, I was there. On 2 September 1990, the 6th Battalion, 27th Field Artillery deployed to Saudi Arabia in support of Operation Desert Shield. Assigned to the XVIII Airborne Corps Artillery, the unit played a critical role in the early defense of Saudi Arabia. As Desert Shield turned into Desert Storm, the Battalion was the first U.S. Field Artillery unit to fire into Kuwait. Over the course of the war, the 6th Battalion, 27th Field Artillery provided timely and accurate rocket and missile fires for both U.S. corps in the theater, the 82nd Airborne Division, the 6th French Light Armored Division, the 1st Armored, 1st Infantry Division, the 101st Airborne Division, and the 24th Infantry Division (Mechanized).

I wish we had cell phones back then because all the memories and experiences are hard to dig up, anything before 2000 is left up to word of mouth. That’s just not fair!
Kuwait I’m sure was beautiful at one time, but Saddam Hussein (Original Terrorist) had jumped on the city in an effort to take its oil and riches. We were sent in to stop him at the request of the Saudi Government. This move would change our military world, our US way of life for all time. Sometime I wish we would have just bombed the place and not committed ground troops, everything has a reason however. I learned not to question orders, I was a soldier, a professional, not a troublemaker.
When all that was said and done and I came home, they sent me stateside to Ft. Bragg, after 2 years, Korea, then I finished my first military run. After a long break, my wife compelled me to rejoin albeit in a limited capacity, the Army National guard. However the fun days were when I first learned how to “Learn” something…..Army style.
Everything geeky or technical I know started in Alabama, Redstone Arsenal has served for more than 50 years as the Army's center for missile and rocket programs. This is where my technical military knowledge took root. 2 years of college, military! Here I knew I was destined for greatness, at this point I had something others would only know after me. We were the first of this training 100 classes of soldiers on this new missile system. I didn’t miss Cleveland at all.
I learned that combat is just be a good soldier, but being technically proficient in your craft, or what you do. That’s what you peers expect from you, being a soldier is automatic at this point now a soldier becomes a professional when learning his job.

The coping process and the stages where it became so “so-real”. The emotional, physical and mental experienced he faced during the tough times in war, made a huge impact on how he views life.

During this time Antoine dealt with an emotional separation with his family and East Cleveland. He recalls making satellite phone calls back to his mom and asking about his brother whom had been running with gangs since he left.
“The neighborhood dramatically changed since I left, drug and gangs took over, I was glad I left, but back in E.C., no one was shooting artillery at me!”

“I received battlefield promotion which is considered a huge thing because it was sneak attack mission”. Because of Frazier participation, it became a successful mission. After his outstanding work of being a young private that acted like a squad leader, he was pinned a high ranking General at a young age of 22. “Coming from nothing and becoming something, is a huge in my life because I went from a man with no plan to a man on a mission”.

“Sometimes I wake up in the morning and I don’t know if I was blessed or I’m alive on accident, but I’m thankful to wake up every morning next to my wife” It was a long road to get to this point after being in the military for 12 years to no have a solid family where he doesn’t have to worry about separation “I was so fortunate, I did what I had to do and at times I miss that military life.”

The connection Mr. and Mrs. Frazier has now is proving to be unbreakable. Antoine proved to his military family and his created family that he knows how to stand his ground no matter what traumatic situation he is put in. This Military experience helped impact Frazier’s life dramatically because it shaped his outlook on life and how he perceives his self.

Frazier ended, “I am really thankful that I did receive the experience in the military because it made me a stronger person and now I can happily say that I am in a better place in life and now I live the complete opposite of what I grew up in”.

Frazier know he hasn’t had the worst childhood or teenage years, however without true direction and guidance, he might as well have been in urban chaos. Yet after he swore in on August 8th 1989, that is where that time was left in the past, a new book opened up with fulfilling chapters that makes up for who Mr. Frazier is today.