SSG Samantha Jeanne Dehling, AK ARNG Oral History

title:

SSG Samantha Jeanne Dehling, AK ARNG Oral History

creator:

Dehling, Samantha Jeanne (Newlin) (1983 May 23 -

subject:

Army | Army National Guard

description:

Native Alaskan

description:

Samantha J. Dehling (formerly Newlin) was born in Noorvik, Alaska in May of 1983. She grew up the oldest of four, with one sister and two brothers. Growing up, the town of Noorvik had only around 600 people, with two general stores and one school that included kindergarteners all the way through 12th graders. There were 12 total people who graduated high school with her in 2001, and that was the most who graduated at once in years. Every year growing up, her family would take a 90-minute boat ride to an even more remote cabin and harvest, prep, and hang fish there, which they would then bring home and eat throughout the year. As of the interview she was living in Juneau, Alaska, but her family would still send her traditional things like caribou meat, the fish they prepare, seal oil, local berries they’d forage, and mukluk. Before graduating in 2001 she was considering joining the Red Cross, since she wanted to do something of service. A National Guard recruiter visited her school prior to her graduation, so she pivoted to joining the National Guard instead. Her basic training was delayed because she broke her leg in a snow machine accident, but she made it to Fort Jackson, South Carolina for basic in July 2001. After basic training, she went to Advanced Individual Training (AIT) to become a supply sergeant or specialist at Fort Lee, Virginia. She didn’t realize a cousin of hers had also joined the National Guard until running into her at the airport on the way to Fort Jackson, and they were bunkmates at basic until Samantha switched companies. After completing AIT, she returned to Alaska, moving to Anchorage and working at the front desk of the Springhouse Suites while drilling monthly. She selected supply as her MOS because she always wanted to stay busy, and there would always be inventories to do and supplies to check, so she enjoyed her drill weekends. For her first two weeks’ annual training, they convoyed from Anchorage to Fairbanks and trained in the field with a detachment from California, doing Humvee and snowmobile training in their free time. When she first joined, they also would spend a weekend once per year completing what they called bumper drag: where they would go to remote towns and collect things like cars and appliances from residents to bring to a junkyard. She volunteered for active duty and deployed to Fort Greely, Alaska in October 2003 because they needed about 50 people to act as Military Police. It was initially for one year, but she signed on as an active duty guard for another three years in admin maintenance rather than supply. After three years and making sergeant there, she was transferred to Juneau since she couldn’t be promoted any further in her position at Fort Greely. Her new unit was transitioning from infantry to MP, with many of the people in the unit having just returned from a deployment to the Middle East. She got married while stationed at Fort Greely and had two children with her then-husband, and she did not have trouble with working while pregnant and after giving birth. As of the interview, Samantha planned to remain on active guard duty until retiring in 11 more years. As of the interview Samantha had reached the rank of staff sergeant. A transcript of this interview is available.

publisher:

Military Women's Memorial Foundation

contributor:

Unknown

date:

2011-12-21

type:

Moving Image

format:

mini-DV

identifier:

1279; 2011.009

source:

OHP | IMES

language:

English

relation:

611554

coverage:

2000s | 2010s

rights:

Unrestricted