Persons of Interest! #6: Sergeant Roman O. Briones, USA, Ret. (1919-2002)

I haven't done a POI post in a while, but I'd like to give a shout-out to a family member today.

That's him circled in red. Maraming salamat to my Silva cousins back in the Philippines! :D

Meet Roman Ona Briones, my great-uncle. He was born in the Philippines in 1919 as the United States was recovering from the First World War. He enlisted in the Philippine Constabulary sometime prior to the U.S. entry into World War II. Shortly after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the Constabulary was incorporated into the U.S. Army, and Lolo (that's the Tagalog word for grandfather) Roman found himself assigned to an military police unit.

With the Japanese invasion of the Philippines, Lolo Roman participated in the defense of his homeland, seeing action in Manila and Bataan. He was later taken prisoner and was forced to undergo the Bataan Death March. During his imprisonment, he contracted malaria, and--to my surprise when I was checking his records--was released by the Japanese as a civilian, apparently "discharged" from military duty. However, for him and many other Filipinos, the war was far from over.

When the opportunity presented itself, Roman Briones became a guerilla fighter and resumed his fight against the Japanese army, eventually surviving the war to see the liberation of his homeland. By war's end, he made the rank of technical sergeant (a sergeant first class in today's U.S. Army) and earned four awards. He continued his military service in the Philippines shortly after the islands were given their independence and ranked up to first sergeant prior to his retirement. Afterwards, he lived out his retirement before he passed away in 2002.

I heard about Lolo Roman shortly after I myself had enlisted in the Army Reserve. A cousin of mine mailed his records to my house; from those records, I read his story and saw all his achievements during his service. Although I never got to know him, I now appreciate his service and that of all who served during arguably the world's greatest conflict to date. As we observe Veterans Day, let us all find inspiration and hope in the sacrifices our veterans and current service members have made.

Persons of Interest! #4: Charlie Company, 369th AG BN, 1st Platoon: Samurai

Having completed all training requirements, I am now qualified for my job in the Army! I should be set to come home this week and I'm aching to catch up upon arrival!

I'd like to shine the spotlight on my battle buddies. I have mentioned them in previous posts, but I very much stress their impact on me. Together, we have gone through quite the times. We've shared laughs, tears, and motivation all through these eight weeks of AIT. From struggling to stay awake in class to bowling at Ivy Lanes to rushing to recall formation back on post, I feel more built up as a person with the times I spent with them.

Now the time has come to go our separate ways. Some of us will be stationed away from our homes--even overseas--while others will be returning to serve our local communities. Each and every one of us has a unique story and lifepath, and all of these streams flowed into a beautiful experience during our time here. Now the time has come for these rivers to separate and go where they are directed.

Perhaps I will run into them again (Actually, that might happen with certain people this year. You know who you are.). Regardless of whether or not that happens, I pray that all of them find success and blessings throughout their lives, and I state again that I am proud to begin my service alongside them all.

A new generation of soldiers is about to emerge this week. Congratulations to all who made it!

SAMURAI UNITE! ONE TEAM ONE FIGHT!

You End Some, You Continue Some, You Begin Some

Happy 2017! It's the beginning of a new year, and of course, new adventures!

I'm very happy to have celebrated Christmas and New Year's with family and friends back home in Chicago, but alas, my holiday leave has come to an end, and I must travel back to Fort Jackson to continue (and finish) AIT.

Highlights from my leave included, but were not limited to:

• Watching Rogue One, Assassin's Creed, and Moana
• Witnessing my friends break a coffee table during a rough round of spoons
• A Christmas party with my brothers and sisters in SFL

I am not sad that these have come to an end; I'm glad because they happened. That's the key to cherishing memories.

I am very excited to reunite with my battle buddies back at Fort Jackson. Since the beginning of November, I've gotten to learn so much from them, and they truly have helped me grow and be motivated to overcome each passing week. We've only a few weeks left of training left now, so I pray we all can finish this strong!

I want to sidestep a bit and give a shout-out to my battle buddies. Some of us are entering the Army as a Reservist or a National Guardsman and will be returning back home after AIT--with myself included among them. Others came in as full-time, active duty members, who will have little time to say goodbye to their families back home before reporting to their first duty station--a sacrifice which earns them my utmost respect. Regardless of which component we entered in as, I have respect for my fellow soldiers who made the choice to raise their hand and took the oath of enlistment, a small but profound action that will go a long way. Perhaps, in the years following our graduation from AIT, we will see each other again; in a military or civilian setting, I do not know, but I hope we can catch up again after a few years or so.

With the beginning of a new year, more blank pages emerge to be written in our biographies. What will become of us this time? I have many predictions and theories about what may happen to me, but the outcomes are obviously subject to change (plot twists do end up becoming the most interesting, if not key, moments, though).

Here's to the future, with a hit from the past:

Persons of Interest! #3: Echo Company 2-13th 3rd Platoon - Spartans

It feels good to access this blog again! I have recently just graduated Army Basic Combat Training, and it makes me proud to say that I have trained alongside the best men and women over those ten weeks.

From reception to graduation, I came to know these people as my battle buddies. Sure, we had our infights and whatnot, but we learned to work together as a team to complete our tasks. At the same time, we developed a strong bond, motivating each other to push beyond their perceived limits and become something more.


I can recall a vast array of memories made during BCT. Shenanigans in the bay, making way for Charlie Company at the dining facility, and my constant begging for a battle buddy to the restrooms. I could go on, but those will be for another post.


Some of these people left the platoon early on, others went on to Advanced Individual Training (AIT) at other posts, and others (myself included) stayed on post for our AIT. Regardless, I wish all of these people the best in their future endeavours.