New Meaning To The Term “Army Strong”

December 15, 2008

When most of us think about the Army’s Army Strong campaign, we think often think of mental and physical toughness. We picture in our minds what is portrayed in the Army commercials we see on television, seeing trainees being put through the paces of Army training. One recent graduate at Aberdeen Proving Ground’s AIT, gives a whole new meaning to the term.

PFC Siobhan Healy is a 39 year old German native who graduated at the top of her AIT class on Friday December 5th. That accomplishment definitely makes her Army Strong, but there’s even more reasons that she redefines that term. PFC Healy just completed the 63B Wheeled Vehicle Mechanics Course and also scored 350 points on her physical fitness test. She’s also the mother of 13 children.

PFC Siobahn Healy with her husband Christopher Healy and 12 of her 13 children pose for a family picture after her graduation from Advanced Individual Training, Edgewood, Maryland. Photo by SPC Loni Kingston

“I started working out about six months before I went to basic training,” she said. “I was afraid that the younger people would outrun me.”¹

Healy is a native of Germany and has always had the desire to join the military, according to her husband, Christopher Healy. She was not allowed to serve in the German military, partly due to the fact that she’s a woman, but also because of her height. She’s 6′1″ tall. Healy had almost given up on her dream to serve in the military, as she figured that at 39, the opportunity to serve had already passed her by. She found out after talking with a Maryland National Guard recruiter that she was still able to enlist. While she was extremely excited about the prospect of being able to serve in the military, as a mother she was a bit apprehensive because she knew that doing so, could mean that she’d have to be away from her children on a deployment.

Healy is proud of her adopted country and because of her appreciation and desire to give back, she put her apprehension aside and decided to join the National Guard. Because she didn’t sign up for any monetary gain, but instead a desire to serve her country, she declined the sign on bonuses that she was eligible for.

“It was the right thing to do for me,” she said.²

PFC Healy is now a proud member of the 200th Military Police Company, a Maryland National Guard unit that is located in Cantonsville, Maryland. Beyond her new military career, Healy has other goals that she wishes to achieve in her adopted country. She also has the desire to become a police officer. Currently she is attending college, majoring in Criminal Justice and she eventually wishes to work as a police officer for Baltimore City Police Department.³

I was quite impressed when I read about PFC Healy. She is a great role model for our children, as they make their way through school and decide what they want to do with their lives. I find it very inspirational that she has the desire to give back to the United States, her adopted country and is doing so in the National Guard and eventually by working in Law Enforcement. PFC Healy most definitely embodies what it means to be “Army Strong.”

http://www.army.mil/-news/2008/12/09/14945-mother-of-13-brings-new-meaning-to-army-strong/ [↩]
http://www.army.mil/-news/2008/12/09/14945-mother-of-13-brings-new-meaning-to-army-strong/ [↩]
http://www.army.mil/-news/2008/12/09/14945-mother-of-13-brings-new-meaning-to-army-strong/ [↩]

Written by Terri · Filed Under Warrior Spotlight

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