By Mark Payne
Staff writer
Co. A 1/46th Inf. Cadet Tessa Frain is not at the Leader’s Training Course to get her school paid for, or to fulfill her parent’s wishes. She is here for her country.
“The honor and integrity that (Soldiers) have; I have always admired everything they have done for this country and I would like to put forth what I can do for this country,” said Frain.
She has witnessed firsthand how Army training can change a person’s life, when a friend went through the Army and she saw how he grew into a stronger person.
She decided on the military around a year ago, when she did some research on nursing.
“I knew I wanted to go into nursing and was doing some research, and I came across how well nursing and the military go together,” she said.
Frain started training with ROTC at Jacksonville State University, in Jacksonville, Ala., during the spring 2009 semester. She also joined the Alabama National Guard in November.
Frain plans on being a nurse in the Army, and is confident that she will become an officer.
“I don’t plan on being an officer, I will be an officer for the Army,” she said.
Back in her hometown of Jacksonville, Frain works diligently to succeed.
“Cadet Frain is a very dedicated and hardworking individual. She has a great work ethic with having a job, attending school for a nursing degree - which is an extremely difficult field of study - and full participation in all ROTC events,” said Maj. Dean Shackelford, who is the recruiting enrollment operations officer at Jacksonville State.
Frain has been pushed her first couple of days in training and her work ethic tested.
“I am getting yelled at a lot, getting smoked a lot every day, it seemed like I was doing something wrong, but I am learning what I need to be doing, so it’s actually getting a lot better. I am enjoying myself,” she said.
Two days into LTC, Frain’s squad tactical officer, 2nd Lt. Wells Crawley of Gates, N.Y., said she is intelligent and determined. He also added that she has the capabilities and wants to lead.
If the words from Shackelford reign true, Cadet Frain will succeed.
“Cadet Frain is very high-spirited and gets along great with all her peers. She sets the example by always having a happy demeanor and maintaining her military bearing at all times, which rubs off on other Cadets. We need more Cadets like her.”