Tomorrow Magazine Veterans Day Special Issue, 2003

It takes a lot to
leave your life
and loved
ones behind.
W
Bonita Hobson as told to
S.C. Biemesderfer
When I set off for basic training in
1978, I was in one of the Army’s first
coed training units. It was a lot of hard
work and I gave it everything I had. In
1979 I was selected for MP [Military
Police] school. After that, I was stationed
with an MP unit in Stuttgart,
Germany. My four years were up in
1982. Then I joined the Army Reserve.
My Reserve unit, the 350th Evacuation
Hospital, was activated in late
1990, during Operation Desert Shield.
After being deployed to Dahrain, Saudi
Arabia, we were sent to King Khalid
Military City near the airport in
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Our first mission
there for Operation Desert Storm was
to set up an evacuation hospital in
about 24 hours. Once we set up the hospital,
we helped keep it running. It was
a 24/7 facility where we received
patients who had to be cared for and
evacuated for medical treatment and for
wounded American soldiers and POWs.
I was over there for a total of five
months and 23 days. That was a long
time to be away from my two kids.
Fortunately, my sister took care of
them while I was away on duty.
In 1993, I started working for
DaimlerChrysler. In 1999, after 20
years in the military, I retired at the
rank of staff sergeant.
My prayers go out to the men and
women being deployed today. It takes a
lot to leave your life and loved ones
behind, even when you’re doing it for
your country.
✮
Bonita Hobson
Ohio National Guard, 1978–1979
U.S. Army, 1979–1982
U.S. Army Reserve, 1983–1999
Staff Sergeant
Inspector, Toledo Machining
UAW Local 1435
18 www.uawdcx.com