Civil war fails to dim Soldier's drive to excel

FORT SILL, Okla., June 16, 2016 -- The rigors of basic combat training (BCT) are nothing new to Pvt. Gordon Tusabe, 26, who walked seven miles to and from school daily until he graduated high school. No, it wasn't uphill both ways, but it was through a country embroiled in the devastation of a civil war.

"My upbringing reminded me life's not easy, and I need to fight for things to happen," he said. "At a very young age I had the knowledge that if I'm going to succeed in life, I will have to fight hard to get what I'm supposed to get."

In his final week of BCT, Tusabe is a citizen of Uganda and an Army enlistee in the Military Accessions Vital to the National Interest (MAVNI) program. Graduation is June 17 along with a ceremony where Tusabe will become a citizen of the United States. Then it's off to advanced individual training to learn his duties as a 68X, Medical Health Specialist.

A fragmented country of competing groups fighting for control was a fact of life for the young man, born into turmoil in a country fighting to find itself since 1986.

"My whole country was a quagmire, and many children became orphans after their parents were killed," said Tusabe of F Battery, 1st Battalion, 31st Field Artillery.

Most days began with Tusabe and his brothers doing chores on the family farm before school. Then the two would walk to school, which was from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Most days the terrible struggles and horrors of war stayed away from his town, Fort Portal, a small city of about 2,000 people in the western part of the country.

He said people in his hometown tended to know each other and were mutually helpful. He likened his upbringing to the phrase, "it takes a village to raise a child." Sometimes he might ask for a ride on a friend's bicycle, but most days the brothers trudged their long walk to school.

One day, the war became very real to him when Tusabe learned of a school about 15 minutes from his

home that had been hit by enemy forces.

"The school was attacked and burned with all the school children dying; I was about age 8 or 9 and realized that would have been me if I had gone to that school," he said.

Though his school went untouched throughout the struggle, the brothers didn't enjoy after-school programs but hurried home. He said attacks often came after sunset so the family stayed inside at night.

He said some nights village leaders got word enemy soldiers were close to town. Leaders would invoke a curfew requiring people to stay at home. Tusabe and his entire family -- seven children plus his parents -- would go to bed very early at night.

Still, the young man's life in some ways wasn't that much different than that of young people in other countries. Early mornings and evenings included feeding and milking livestock, cutting the grass and the like. Later, he and his brother did their homework by candlelight as his home didn't have electricity.

Many people in his country weren't as fortunate. As the war extended to all parts of the country many people were killed, others lost their homes. Also, food shortages pushed families to refugee camps to survive. There, AIDS and high incidents of teen pregnancy furthered people's misery.

Tusabe said living conditions began to improve in Uganda around 2010. Committed to his education as a way of not only improving himself, but his country, too, he graduated high school and volunteered to work at an orphanage. While there, he met American missionaries.

"They encouraged me to follow my dreams and further my education in America," he said.

Tusabe studied Christian theology at Christ for the Nations in Dallas and The International Miracle Institute in Pensacola, Fla. He completed his doctorate and became an ordained minister in Dallas, where he served as a youth pastor mentoring and encouraging young people. But, for a man who values learning and personal growth, Tusabe turned to military service, an idea that he first considered many years ago in Uganda.

"America has provided a lot of opportunities during my stay, and with my great passion to serve, I felt the need to join the greatest military force in the world -- the U.S. Army -- to serve the welfare of the nation and the people with respect and honor," he said.

A bit older than many of the Soldiers in his battery, Tusabe has been a positive influence on his battle buddy, 20-year-old Pvt. Tovaun Stallings.

"Tusabe is the type of battle buddy ... he doesn't let you fail. During a physical training run, he saw I was lagging, but he stayed with me urging me to keep going,' said the 20-year-old Soldier from St. Paul, Minn. "He's a motivator."

Having always wanted to visit Africa, Stallings said he's enjoyed meeting Tusabe and learning from the perspective of someone whose view of the world reaches beyond U.S. borders.

Proving the value of the battle buddy ideal, Stallings admitted he had a hard time adapting to the Army at first, but that Tusabe helped him to not only stay but to strive for excellence in the tasks placed before him.

Most evenings throughout basic training the two, along with Pvt. Calvin Whetstone, met in the evening to talk over the day's training and their days ahead.

"Tusabe talked to us to realize each thing the Army had us do was like a building block helping us to do the next assigned task better and to be the best people we can be," said Stallings.

He added, Tusabe said excellence gets easier the more one reaches for it.

Ever reaching higher in pursuit of his goals and dreams, Tusabe hopes to become an Army chaplain and put his education and training to use responding to Soldiers' spiritual needs. Further down the road, he intends to pursue a mentoring ministry with international influence.

"I'm fully ready for all life's challenges. I'm the kind of person living from inside out, try to reach out and encourage others," he said.