With Christmas just around the corner, thousands of Fort Eisenhower soldiers are getting two weeks off to celebrate with family and other loved ones back home.
As more than 4,500 army soldiers travel home after being away for months, many said they were looking forward to kicking back and enjoying the seasonal cheer.
This year, the U.S. Army is estimating more than 38,000 soldiers will travel home from bases across the country. After family and friends picked up approximately 600 Fort Eisenhower soldiers, another 1,700 flew home from the Atlanta International Airport and the Augusta Regional Airport on Monday, Dec. 18, starting around midnight.
According to military personnel, the Army is the only branch that pauses basic and advanced individual training to offer a two-week break for the holidays.
For Staff Sgt. Jamie Keene, who instructs soldiers in cybersecurity, the break and the Christmas season are a great opportunity for soldiers to prioritize their family before spending several more weeks in rigorous routine.
“It reminds me of my first time going home after joining the army. It’s a really important memory for some of these soldiers especially,” he said. “They’re here for 40+ weeks doing all sorts of training just to make them the next generation of cyber soldiers, and the opportunity for them to go home and spend some time with their family after almost a year is really important.”
To Keene, a soldier is nothing without a strong support system, which is why his trainees have to always cherish and reconnect with their family from time to time when they are able.
“I really like this time of year, especially because it has been a minute since they’ve seen their family. I really want them to spend the time with [family] and enjoy these moments that they can,” said Keene. “A support system is one of the most important things a soldier can have … in the ‘whole soldier’ concept, it’s one of the parts of our golden triangle as far as readiness and resilience goes – is having that support system, that family.”
After being away from home for six months, Private First Class Ryan Massey said he was flying home to Reno, Nevada and looking forward to spending time with his family and fiancé to soak in the love.
“I’m ready to go home,” said Massey. “This has been the only event I’ve been looking forward to for the past 28 weeks that I’ve been in training … I can finally go home and see everybody that I’ve been wanting to see.”
Enthusiastic about surrounding himself with loved ones and getting away from the “chaos” and “stress of learning a new job,” Massey said it was the break he felt many soldiers like himself needed after enduring the shock of quickly learning a new routine and being constantly surrounded by strangers.
“The fact that I can go home and my family can see a different me is just something that I never thought I’d be able to do,” he said. “Where they can see not just a boy who’s been living with them the past 19 years, but a man who can actually serve and protect the people he cares about.”
Looking forward to eating sushi for his first meal back, Massey said he had all of his holiday meals picked and planned.
“It’s just really an exciting feeling,” he said. “I got that whole thing planned out.”
Massey said he thought it was especially significant that soldiers get to go home during the holidays, because it is a time of year that everyone can gather together and enjoy various traditions and annual events in immense bliss.
“On the holidays, everybody’s there. Everyone is together. Everyone is sharing stories. Gifts are being given,” he said. “There’s events going on. There’s so much stuff that you can do.”
First generation American and fellow soldier Pvt. Oluwaferanmi Adekunle, who is heading home to New Jersey, said she was looking forward to being around her parents and brother.
“Going home for the holidays is something that’s very important to me because I’ve always been a very family oriented person,” she said. “So, it’s just very important that we all get together … it’s a very special moment because it just doesn’t happen a lot – where everyone can come together and celebrate.”
Looking forward to eating traditional Nigerian dishes, her favorite being made from blended spinach and pounded yam, as well as other holiday traditions, Adekunle said it is a time she will hold onto as she continues her training in 2024.
“It’s been five months since I’ve been home,” she said. “Usually we always have a Christmas party at my cousin’s house and then I go to church … it’s just going to be two weeks of partying and getting together with family, so I’m really excited.”
With parents born and raised in Africa who moved to America to provide their children with better opportunities, 19-year-old Adekunle said she was also looking forward to showing off how her time at Fort Eisenhower has changed her.
“To go home for two weeks is really a privilege,” she said. “It’s not something that [the Army] has to give us, so that’s why it’s all the more special that we’re able to take advantage of the opportunity.”
Soldiers will fly back into Augusta after the New Year on Wednesday, Jan. 3, to continue training.
“When they get back they are rejuvenated, refreshed, recharged and ready to go,” said Keene. “It’s always nice to have some downtime, considering their training schedule … it’s so rigorous and when we get them back it’s like a whole new soldier.”
Liz Wright is a staff writer covering education, lifestyle and general assignments for The Augusta Press. Reach her at liz@theaugustapress.com.
