Reep will miss first anniversary

By WILL STEWART / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard

As an IT manager, Cpl. Michael Reep, seen here in front of one of I Troop’s Bradley Fighting Vehicles, worries he’ll miss vital information technology advances while he’s deployed. (Will Stewart photo)

In the ever-evolving information technology field, two years can seem like an eternity. That’s what has Cpl. Michael Reep worried.

As a member of I Troop, McMinnville’s National Guard unit, Reep, 22, must leave his job as IT manager for Sparta-based Tri-State Distribution as the local unit and the entire 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment leave tomorrow for training before eventual deployment to Iraq.

“It’s not easy when they tell you all you’ve worked for and all the knowledge you’ve obtained you have to stow it away and put it on hold,” Reep said. “The military requires I get my job back when I get home, but will I know enough to do it when I get back?”

To try and keep up with the developments in his field while he’s in Iraq, Reep said he is going to have all of his industry magazines forwarded to him, as well as any other pertinent information. He also plans on taking his laptop computer with him, though he doubts he’ll have regular access to the Internet.

A five-year I Troop veteran, Reep joined the local unit during his senior year in high school as a way to pay for college. He said it was his intention to join the Navy, but when the Navy recruiter never showed up, he was talked into joining the local group by another recruiter.

As a cavalry scout, he has been trained to be the “eyes and ears” of the battlefield in reporting a battle’s conditions to his commander. But like others in I Troop, his task for Iraq has shifted and he now expects to be doing police and other security work there.

In preparation for his deployment, Reep has been busy. In addition to training his replacement at work, he’s had to take care of a details on the home front, including working out an agreement with his landlord, setting up automatic bill payments, and going over other specifics with his wife, Brandy.

Married last July, the two will be apart on their first anniversary as he will in training at Camp Shelby, Miss.

“She’s been pretty supportive,” Reep said. “She hasn’t gotten too upset yet. She’s taken it a lot better than most wives.”

Reep also said he’s been thinking a lot.

“I think about all of the things I’ve done and how I wish I could have done some things another way. I’ve been apologizing to my wife for all the times I’ve ever been mean to her. You really think about all the things you take for granted.”