Lane mother follows her son into military service

HEMINGWAY— Sgt. Francis Hutton of Lane is currently stationed in Kuwait as part of ongoing US Military operations in the Middle East. Hutton’s journey to the armed forces is a unique one. While she enlisted in 2006, just two months before her 40th birthday, it wasn’t her age that made the event unique; rather, it is the fact she enlisted alongside her 24-year-old son.

The sergeant took some time out of her busy schedule last week for a phone interview from an Army headquarters in Kuwait to talk about the path that led her to her position as a reservist in the U.S. Army and what traveling that road with a member of her family has been like:

The Weekly Observer (TWO): Sgt. Hutton , thank you again very much for taking the time to talk with us today.

Sgt. Hutton: Thank you for having me.

TWO: To start, if you could tell us a little about your duties… you are stationed in Kuwait… What are your day-to-day responsibilities like?

Sgt. Hutton: Well, I work for the first TSA Command Group, which means I work under a two-star general and two one-star generals and the chief of staff for the first PFC, which is located out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina… I handle all their human resources and [inaudible] duties. We handle distinguished visitors, senators or other generals that want to come over and visit us in Kuwait to see just how the operations are going… And we are facilitating the drawdown from Iraq...

TWO: How long have you been involved in military service?

Sgt. Hutton: I enlisted with my son in 2006… I had always wanted to join, but I was the single mother of two small children and by the time they were old enough I was over the age limit. He (Hutton’s 24-year-old son) came to me and was talking about enlisting in the army and we were watching a new segment where a mother and son had just graduated (basic training in) Fort Jackson (Mississippi) and realized (the Army) had bumped the age to 40, and this was two months before my 40th birthday. So, we went down to the recruiter’s office the next day.

TWO: What was the reaction like from your family?

Sgt. Hutton: My daughter was very supportive, and my sisters and my brother, everybody was very supportive.

TWO: As you got into military life, would you say there was a period of adjustment that was required, getting used to that different lifestyle?

Sgt. Hutton: It was. It was a lot of disciple. I’m just reserves, but going through the basic training part of it, a lot of discipline learning how to do things the military way.

TWO: During your basic training what was your contact like with your son? Did you see him at all, or were you separated at that point?

Sgt. Hutton: We were separated. He actually went to do basic training at Fort. Benning and I went to basic training at Fort Jackson.

TWO: Are you close with your son now? Are you serving in the same area? Where is he stationed?

Sgt. Hutton: Actually he was in (inaudible) Iraq for 15 months, and then he was here in Kuwait for three weeks. He left here in April of 2009 and I arrived here in 2009, so I really haven’t seen him in quite some time. Though we talk a lot on the phone and via email.

TWO: What’s that been like? It must be difficult being away from your family, especially your son, knowing that he is over there serving with you. Has that been difficult for you?

Sgt. Hutton: Well, he’s actually back in Fort. Leavenworth, KS. He actually reenlisted and took on a new MOS, which is his military occupation. He went to the military police side of things and he works at Fort Leavenworth prison now… It’s hard. My daughter, she lives in Charleston with her husband and her kids and it’s been hard. You know, they talk frequently because they are, of course, stateside, but I do talk to them several times a week via phone… because I miss them. It’s hard. We post Facebook, you know, pictures on Facebook… and that helps, but it doesn’t take the place of actually being there. Come June I will have been gone a whole year, so I’ve missed all the birthdays and holidays for a year.

TWO: When are you scheduled to return stateside?

Sgt. Hutton: Sometime between mid-June and end of July.

TWO: Do you know if you will be sent back, or is that the tale end of your duty for now?

Sgt. Hutton: Well, I have no idea. You know, there’s several people who have been over here in the position that I’m in, have actually been extended here. And they actually ending two years of service over here, so, I guess I will find out when it gets close to that time.

TWO: Well, let me just say on behalf of everybody here thank you vey much for you service and everybody over there. We appreciate it… The final question would be what can we do, what can the folks back home do to help you guys out?

Sgt. Hutton: Continue to support the soldiers. They have a website called Soldier’s Angels(.org) and AnySoldier.com… go on there, find a solder in Iraq or Afghanistan and support them.

To listen to the audio of Sgt. Hutton's interview, log on to The Weekly Observer Facebook page.