Father's Day the army way - Brief Article

Military Police, March, 2002 by Kim Reischling

The milestones of a child's life often become treasured memories in a parent's mind: those first, precarious baby steps; a 5-year-old's sunny smile, exposing a gap where a tooth once grew; a capped and gowned high school senior closing the door on an all-too-brief childhood; and, as is the case of Sergeant Major Robert Bankhead, 519th Military Police Battalion, Fort Polk, Louisiana, a daughter's first salute to her father.

For the Bankheads, the pinnacle of this milestone occurred when Sergeant Major Bankhead made an oath of enlistment--his final one after 23 years in the Army. His oath was administered by his daughter, newly commissioned Second Lieutenant Lorinda Bankhead.

"From the beginning, Lorinda has been one of those kids who matured early. She was always the one helping the kids who had trouble reading. You could see the natural leadership coming out of her," Bankhead said. But it wasn't until years later that he had an inkling that his daughter might follow in his footsteps.

"One day, when Lorinda was a sophomore in high school, I was home on sick leave. My wife, Linda, made a comment about how great it was that our medical care was free. Lorinda said, `Wait a minute, Dad. Do you mean that when you're sick you don't have to pay for anything?' I told her that as long as I was in the Army, doing my job, it took care of me with a free house, free medical care, and a lot of other benefits. Right then and there, Lorinda said she might join the Army," he said.

Upon graduation from high school, Lorinda was ready to sign up. "I was pretty sure about the Army, but I hadn't thought about college. Dad told me, `I was a drill sergeant, and I know what you're going to go through. You have the intelligence to get through college, and if you still want to join the Army after that, you can do it as an officer,' "Lorinda said.

Lorinda followed her father's advice, entering Tulane University under a Reserve Officers' Training Corps scholarship. She graduated in May 2001 with a degree in mechanical engineering and an Army commission.

During his daughter's graduation, the sergeant major came up with the glimmering of an idea. He thought, "Wouldn't it be great if she could reenlist me?"

After a few details were ironed out, Lorinda traveled to Fort Polk to reenlist her father on 1 June 2001. Both father and daughter shared their thoughts before the ceremony. "I'm so proud of her that I think it hasn't sunk in yet. It's kind of unique. She outranks me and the rest of the family eats that up. It's strange calling her `ma'am.' It makes her sound so old. I'll give her all the respect her rank is due, but I'm still dad. In fact, the other day she locked her keys in the car and I told her she was already acting like a lieutenant," the sergeant major said.

He continued. "One of the proudest moments in a soldier's career is reenlisting. It's a privilege, and to have your daughter extend that privilege to you is a real good thing. But, I'm not an emotional kind of guy, so I won't get choked up. I'm an old first sergeant kind of guy. Lorinda agreed. "It's been an emotional ride since graduation. At the ceremony, guest speaker Brigadier General (retired) John Grubbs talked about how he'd never seen an enlisted soldier so high in rank salute his daughter. During the ceremony, I kept-thinking about how my father would be my first salute. I tried to be strong, but the tears just started rolling down my face. An officer gives a silver dollar to the first enlisted soldier he or she salutes--it's an Army tradition. My dad now has my silver dollar."

Reenlisting her father has brought an overwhelming sense of pride, Lorinda said. "Any officer who has been asked to do a reenlistment feels proud to have been asked. You feel good that the soldier respects you enough to ask. And on top of everything, I am so proud of my dad. He's been in the Army for 23 years and I've been in all of two weeks. I feel so happy and joyful. My mom and dad stuck by me and have always been there for me. This is like the end of a long trail and the beginning of another," she said.

In nineteen years, Lorinda learned many memorable lessons from her dad. "As a soldier, I think my dad taught me honesty, respect, honor, and a sense of duty--qualities I hope to bring to my Army career. But most of all, he taught me a lot just by being my dad," she said.

Ms. Kim Reischling is the editor of the Fort Polk Guardian.