I Did My Part: Tom's Story of Service, Discipline, and Quiet Legacy

Tom’s story is one of quiet strength, humility, and the steady discipline that shaped his life long after his years in the National Guard. Growing up in Fulton, Illinois, in a strict home and tough circumstances, he learned early what hard work meant — lessons he carried into service and beyond.
In this conversation, Tom reflects on joining the Guard when jobs were scarce, pushing through basic training (“With practice and determination, you can do it even though you thought you couldn't” ), and discovering the values that still guide him today: kindness, punctuality, honesty, and doing things the right way.
He shares memories of long marches, heat exhaustion, snow‑shut Georgia, mosquito‑thick Minnesota, and the bittersweet regret of leaving service early. Above all, Tom speaks to the meaning of brotherhood, the importance of helping veterans, and the legacy he hopes to leave behind: “That I did my part.”
This is a story for anyone who understands the quiet cost of service — and the pride of having stepped forward when called.

Transcript

Speaker 0:01

Welcome to Fireline, a place where the stories of service are honored with dignity, truth, and the quiet strength they deserve. Here, we sit with the people who have lived it, the soldiers, medics, firefighters, police officers, and families who carry the weight of service in ways most never see. These are their stories, their memories, their lived experiences. This is

0:30

Fireline.

brenda 0:32

So how would you describe your life right now? In a few words, what, what season are you in in your life?

Tom 0:40

Hmm. Well, my life is pretty good right now. I mean, I could want for nothing really, except maybe some better health. But, you know, I have a wife and kids, and older kids and grandkids. You know, I wish I'd see them more, but, we're all busy. But as a whole, my life right now is pretty good, so... And when you

brenda 1:09

think about the person you were, 18, 20, what stands out the most about that person, about you back then?

Tom 1:21

I was pretty naive. Honestly, I didn't, I didn't know what the real world was like. back then you couldn't... Jobs weren't plentiful. You couldn't find anything. not like today. I could walk down the street and get a job today if I wanted to. I had a lot of growing up to do. So a lot, a lot of difference between now and then

brenda 1:49

And what's something about you that people often misunderstand or overlook?

Tom 1:56

Hmm I'm not sure. You'd have to ask my wife.

brenda 2:01

She has stories.

Tom 2:02

Oh, I'm sure she does. I'm, I'm, I'm a klutz-

brenda 2:07

Mm

Tom 2:08

and, and I'll admit it. You know, if something's gonna happen, it's gonna happen to me. If I'm gonna spill on my shirt while I'm eating, chances are it's gonna

brenda 2:19

happen. where'd you grow up, and what shaped you most during those growing up years?

Tom 2:24

I grew up in Fulton, Illinois. My parents divorced when I was young, early, I'd say I was 12, around in there maybe. And, I don't remember much of those years 'cause I mostly blocked it out. Times were tough. Didn't, didn't have much money, so we made do with what we had. my parents were strict. You probably got spanked or whatever, or your mouth washed out with soap. That was the norm It was It's probably why, it's probably why I have it blocked out. My brothers and sisters tell me. but it wasn't fun for us

brenda 3:14

And who were the people that influenced your character early on?

Tom 3:18

Mm-hmm I'd say the one thing I got from my parents is they were always working hard. And I've tried to do that my whole life, work hard, give it your best. Do it, do things the right way instead of, you know, sloppily or whatever. I, I try and do it right every time

brenda 3:40

And what values were you raised with that you still gu- that still guide you today?

Tom 3:45

Hardworking, do the best you can, Be kind. I always try to be kind to people.

brenda 3:52

Yeah.

Tom 3:52

Polite. help people when you can. I don't know where I got that from, but I think that's a good, honest value to treat people right. Treat them how you wanna be treated.

brenda 4:05

Yeah. You're right, it is. So path to service, what first put military service on your radar?

Tom 4:14

Hmm. I had some friends at school That were getting in the National Guard, and I f- and I found that interesting, and then I found out they were getting paid to do it, and back then you w- you c- like I said, you couldn't find any jobs. Mm. And so then I decided to join, and I had convinced my mom, 'cause I needed her permission because I was under 18, and she said, "Okay." And so then I joined, and I had a little bit of trouble 'cause I was overweight like- I had been all my life. But, I managed to get in and, that was... Went to basic training between my junior and senior year of school. And, Did my thing

brenda 5:08

And was there a moment when you knew, "Yes, this is what I'm doing"?

Tom 5:13

Well, when you're in basic training- you, you know. You know

brenda 5:18

you're there.

Tom 5:19

And from what I've heard and seen, it's nothing today like it was then.

brenda 5:26

No, that's what I've heard too. what values were you raised with that so guide you? Oh, that's the wrong one. I'm sorry. How did your family react when you made that decision?

Tom 5:37

my older brother was already in the Army, and I th- I believe that they were pretty support- they were supportive of it.

brenda 5:48

Okay. Good. What do you remember most vividly from training, the moment that changed

Tom 5:55

you? Hmm. Oh, the discipline. And even, even in the training you do things right, or if you make a mistake, you admit it.

brenda 6:06

Mm-hmm.

Tom 6:07

You know, there's... You don't hide it. and you follow the rules.

brenda 6:12

Yeah.

Tom 6:12

That's what you do.

brenda 6:14

You did.

Tom 6:15

And you help each other out.

brenda 6:19

I wasn't so good at that in

Tom 6:22

boot camp. Boot camp w- boot camp was hard.

brenda 6:24

I went to Captain's Mast in boot camp, so so what part of, your training shaped you the most as a person, not just as a soldier?

Tom 6:34

just I would say working with each other and, getting along with each other. Now, granted, through life, you know, we-- there are some people who are difficult, and you don't get along with them. They might have an attitude and, and you might not get along with them. That's just life. You're always gonna run into people like that. But, Just try and get along with people

brenda 6:58

Yeah

Tom 6:59

You know? Follow the rules.

brenda 7:01

And what did you learn about yourself during bootcamp, during training?

Tom 7:05

With practice and determination, you can do it even though you thought you couldn't I lost a lot of weight during, during, basic training. I got most improved soldier, which in my opinion is amazing in itself. there were hard times. You know, I ended up in the hospital once. You know, thankfully only one time, but, hey It's okay

brenda 7:36

Yeah. And were you ever deployed?

Tom 7:40

No.

brenda 7:40

No, okay. what's your average day look like then in the mil- not just boot camp, but-

Tom 7:47

Well, I was young.

brenda 7:49

Mm-hmm.

Tom 7:50

And, you know, like when we were having drill or whatever, you would be there first light, you know, for roll call and, and you would do your training and stuff like that and with the other people. But when I wasn't in drill or whatever, you know, you'd just go to school and do your thing and be with your friends and, It seemed like it was easier than what it is today

brenda 8:18

Yeah. And what were the moments, big or small, that stay with you now?

Tom 8:23

well, like when I was in basic training, I, I remember the long march with our weapon and, and the next thing I knew I was in the hospital. Heat exhaustion. Or I remember going to, to school later in Georgia, and it's snowing, and they shutting everything down 'cause of the snow, and I thought that was the most ridiculous thing in the world. You know, because we don't do that around

brenda 8:50

here.

Tom 8:51

Right. You know, and g- and going to some of the, the camps. Like, went to, Camp Ripley in Minnesota and, you know, and the mosquitoes outnumber everybody in there. Everywhere. Or, up to Wisconsin and all the pine trees. Or we went to California once too and, and saw the ocean and, and wildfires and things. You know, a lot of different experiences.

brenda 9:20

Mm-hmm.

Tom 9:21

You know, I'm sad that year after I got out they went to Germany. You know? That w- that would've been nice, but, you know, you do You gotta do what you gotta do.

brenda 9:33

Mm-hmm And what you carry with you physically, emotionally, that meant something

Tom 9:41

physically, shockingly, w-when I was in basic training and for a while after that, I was in... I wouldn't say I was in excellent shape, but I was more at a I was a much slimmer person then. But you know, they, you exercise with everybody, and you do it every day, and they have their routines. And, and whether people like them or not, they still do you a lot of good.

brenda 10:13

Now, were you in when you and Jana were married?

Tom 10:15

Yes.

brenda 10:16

Yeah.

Tom 10:17

And then, 'cause we got married, let's see, in '87. And I got out the year af- afterward. And I was dumb, I should've just stayed in. 'Cause if I would've had my 20-

brenda 10:34

That's what I say. My biggest regret is getting

Tom 10:38

out. I mean, I did six years, and... But, you know, I was young. I was dumb. And, you know, if, if I would've just went full time You know, I could, I could have my healthcare coverage-

brenda 10:54

Mm-hmm

Tom 10:55

for the rest of my life. I could, could be getting... the government could be paying me for that.

brenda 11:01

Yeah.

Tom 11:01

Retirement. You know, I, I have a buddy who's getting paid

brenda 11:07

And what does b- brotherhood mean to you?

Tom 11:11

Well, j- just like, I don't have anybody from when I was in with that I even talk to, which is sad. But I do have brothers and brothers-in-law who were in, and we're family. Right. You know? And I, and I'm sure that if I was close to, to those other people that I was in with, we would be families too. When you s- when you serve together, you're family.

brenda 11:47

Right. You are.

Tom 11:49

Y- you know, that, and it sticks with you the rest of your life

brenda 11:54

And was there anybody in your unit, who made you feel grounded and steady?

Tom 12:00

I don't think so Cause a, a lot of times people just did their own, their own thing Okay.

brenda 12:06

And what did trust look like?

Tom 12:08

Well, you, you trusted each other because, you know, you had each other's back. and you didn't want anything to happen to anybody. Even, even like today, I'm all, I'm all for helping veterans, you know, that, that need help. And there are some, I'm sure there are some that try and take advantage of that-

brenda 12:33

Yeah

Tom 12:34

sadly. But the majority of them, they need help. We need to get them help.

brenda 12:41

Yes.

Tom 12:41

Plain and simple.

brenda 12:42

Yes. You're right. That's the one thing that I hope to work toward with this, i- one day to build a foundation to help veterans. so how did service change you?

Tom 12:57

I'd say before I got, got in, I was probably pretty lazy and that made me not as much Yeah And made me follow the rules and stuff better. You know? I think it made me a better person

brenda 13:12

And what strengths did it give you that you still rely on now?

Tom 13:16

I, I would say, punctuality Do e- do everything right. I'm always on time to everything, come hell or high water. if I'm not, something has happened or I'm very angry at myself for not being on time. That's my major pet peeve, just being on time for stuff.

brenda 13:41

Yeah.

Tom 13:42

And that doesn't mean arriving at that time. You, I wanna be there, like if you're having a class at 1:00, you better be seated and ready to go at 1:00, not driving in the parking lot-

brenda 13:54

Yeah

Tom 13:54

at 1:00.

brenda 13:55

Right. Right. So after service, if you got out, what parts of yourself did you have to rebuild to be able to survive, you know? 'Cause the discipline in the military-

Tom 14:10

Mm

brenda 14:10

well, that's just not out here. So what did you have to do to rebuild you to make it out here after you got out of the service? And being a National Guardsman, I, I, I would think that might be harder 'cause you had two different lives. You had your civilian life-

Tom 14:28

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm

brenda 14:29

but then you on the, on that weekend every month or that two weeks in the summer or whenever they sent, you had to be a soldier and be that-

Tom 14:38

Mm-hmm

brenda 14:39

you had to change yourself. So what, what was, what did you do to have to rebuild that part of you to get along all the time?

Tom 14:46

Well, it was like something was missing cause you, you didn't have the discipline and stuff.

brenda 14:51

Mm-hmm.

Tom 14:51

You know, you had a different sort of values because it wasn't as strict. So then there's kind of a letdown now that I think about it.

brenda 15:04

Mm-hmm.

Tom 15:06

So...

brenda 15:07

That's how I felt, still do, when I got out. It's hard still, even after all these years, to be a civilian. so legacy when you think back to your service, what are you most proud of?

Tom 15:21

That I did it. You know, it was a challenge and You know, but I'm proud that I did do it. You know, I probably could have made some better choices of instead of going in the Guard, which it's, that's still important because they still need help too, but I should have just went in the regular service to begin with instead of-

brenda 15:49

Yeah

Tom 15:49

the Guard. But I didn't know

brenda 15:53

And what do you want people to understand about men and women who serve?

Tom 15:57

They're giving it all, and they deserve our respect, you know, because they're helping protect our country, and that takes a lot. And if they have a family, that takes a lot for their family, too.

brenda 16:14

Yeah, it does. So what legacy do you hope your story leaves behind to people, to your children, grandchildren?

Tom 16:25

They can do it, too. You know, if they want to, they can do it. It's their choice. I'm not gonna force them. But if they did, I'd be very proud of them just for trying.

brenda 16:39

Yeah.

Tom 16:40

Cause it, it's not for everybody.

brenda 16:42

It's not, no. So is there anything that you've never said out loud about your service that you feel ready to say?

Tom 16:52

Hmm. Not really. I did my part, you know? But when they, at different events when they honor people that have served, I, I feel like the people who really need to be honored are the, the ones who have been deployed, who have been injured, who are suffering-

brenda 17:13

Mm-hmm

Tom 17:14

because they've been injured or whatever they, they deserve the recognition

brenda 17:21

Yeah

Tom 17:22

You know? I did my part, but... And I've been recognized enough. I, I think those people, they des- they need it. They need the applause. and, and I'm okay with that.

brenda 17:37

And what do you want your family to remember about you?

Tom 17:41

That I did my part. That I willingly went in there and trained and learned how to do that stuff and

brenda 17:52

W- what was your job? What did you do in the military?

Tom 17:54

I was a 31 Mike, which I don't even know if they still have that. But I was, in communications. We had a communications van, and, that was interesting in itself. I'm sure it's way different today because, you know, that was a few years ago. Gosh.

brenda 18:13

Yeah.

Tom 18:15

It's over 40 years ago.

brenda 18:17

I know, right? That's hard to believe.

Tom 18:19

In fact, longer than that.

brenda 18:21

I went in in '84. And then '84, it's... And, and I try to think where did that time go?

Tom 18:30

It's gone

brenda 18:32

It is. Sometimes I wish I could get it back and do it all over again.

Tom 18:36

I'd make a couple of changes.

brenda 18:37

Yes. If I could tell myself back then, I'd say, "Don't get out. Don't get out. You can get through it. Don't get out."

Tom 18:46

Yeah. Mm-hmm. There's, there's other things I would change, too.

brenda 18:49

Yeah. Yeah. So anything else you wanna add before we close?

Tom 18:54

I don't

18:55

think so. Okay.

Speaker 2 18:58

Thank you for spending time with us. If this story resonated with you, share it with someone who understands the quiet cost of service. And remember, service is a lineage, a legacy, and a thread that connects us more than we realize. Until next time, stay safe, stay human, and keep the stories alive.