"Freedom shows the diversity of our country. It doesn't matter the person's background. We are all pursing the same dream."
Col. Johnny Isaak, the Nevada Army National Guard's deputy chief of staff for personnel, defined his idea of freedom while praising those soldiers who have made a difference in serving their country. He made his remarks at a recent Freedom Breakfast held in Carson City.
Isaak said Americans live in a "to do" society rather than existing in a "to be" culture.
"We value what you do and what you accomplish," he said.
The event gave soldiers an opportunity to learn more about diversity and the background of three soldiers assigned to the personnel section at the Office of the Adjutant General.
Chief Warrant Officer 4 Dave Anderson gave a first-hand experience of what he has seen during his military career. After graduating from high school in 1973, he worked as a ranch hand for $20 a day. Anderson said he became interested in the military after talking to a soldier who had returned from Vietnam.
The U.S. Air Force beckoned Anderson, and he served as loadmaster aboard a C-130. He saw the world as his crew flew to the Philippines and performed rotations to Europe and South America. The crew also flew to the Middle East and Africa.
Anderson then elaborated on the values found outside the United States.
"You don't realize the freedoms we have until we are in another country," he added. "Being in a third-world country makes me appreciate what we have here."
After leaving the Air Force, Anderson entered Cal State University at Chico and graduated in 1982. He later joined the California Army National Guard but transferred to Nevada in 1991 to take a full-time job. Working in personnel has given Anderson an opportunity to speak with soldiers who have deployed overseas. In fact, Anderson has volunteered to deploy this June, but he doesn't know if his destination will be either to Iraq or Afghanistan.
Staff Sgt. Elizabeth Zamora immigrated to the United States from Mexico when she was 3 years old. She eventually became a U.S. citizen. Zamora grew up in Las Vegas, but she felt her life was incomplete.
The personnel services noncommissioned officer (NCO) joined the Nevada Army National Guard when she was 17 years old.
"That was something I always wanted to do," she said. "I enlisted because it was a way to pay back this country and show my gratitude."
Zamora said she considers freedom as a characteristic that gives people the ability to "use God-given talents in a way a person likes."
Freedom also opened her eyes when she served in Iraq. Because people are separated into certain groups and religions, she saw the poor living conditions that many Iraqis had to endure and what a bleak future awaited many of them.
That feeling contrasts to life back in the United States.
"In this country, you could grow up in a foster home and eventually be a millionaire," she said. Anderson said he was impressed with Zamora's observations.
"She is a perfect example of what the U.S. and freedom are all about a melting pot,"
said the chief of the personnel services branch.
Spec. Crandall Payne spent four years in the U.S. Navy and then joined the National Guard where he drilled at Jackson Barracks in New Orleans. He left New Orleans in 1999, headed to Idaho and then moved to Nevada in 2008 where he eventually transferred into the Nevada Army National Guard.
In discussing the freedoms Americans have, Payne said he is grateful for his children and family.
"I value them the most," said Payne, a personnel operations NCO.
Eventually, Payne said he would like to become a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army and obtain a master's degree.
Those are goals that fit in with his personal freedoms.
"Freedom is being able to do things without restrictions," Payne said.
Lt. Col. Joanne Farris, deputy military personnel officer, said the gathering gave soldiers an opportunity to talk and celebrate who they are and why they joined the Army National Guard.
"We also want to honor those going on or coming back from deployments and also the people in personnel who prepare others for deployment including those who prepare families for separation," she pointed out.