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RomeSentinel.com - Rome news, sports, entertainment from the online home of the Rome Daily Sentinel
A New York State School for the Deaf employee can’t say that she is headed to Afghanistan this year.
But Patricia Brunk told her students before she left, "I am bright enough to surmise that it will be a warm and sandy year, but not in Hawaii or Florida."
A member of the Army Reserves for eight years, Brunk is a psychologist at the school. She left her civilian job recently to begin training for deployment to Afghanistan. She resides in Blossvale with her husband. They have lived in the area since Brunk took her job at the School for the Deaf in the summer of 2006.
The female soldier credits her parents and brother for her decision to serve Uncle Sam. "My father was in the Marine Corps during the Korean Conflict, and my mother entered the Army near the end of World War II," Brunk said. "At the age of 17, my brother enlisted in the Army and spent three years in Germany. He was too young to appreciate how fortunate he was. I followed suit when I was 20 and entered the Marine Corps Reserves."
Following an honorable discharge, Brunk was out of the Reserves for 14 years until a friend talked her into joining again, she said.
"I let a work-out buddy at the Rome Family YMCA talk me into rejoining," Brunk said. "I found to my dismay that I was too old for the USMC, but was just right for the Air National Guard. So off I went to be trained and to work in the field of avionics — electronic systems on planes."
After three years, in June of 2000, Brunk sought an officer appointment and signed up with the Army Reserves. Since, she has served in the capacity of adjutant, executive officer and company commander. Brunk is now an officer evaluations coordinator.
"On Monday (April 21), I received a call reminding me that I have been on a volunteer list since 2002, and it was my turn to fulfill my obligation on a full-time basis," she said.
Brunk will attend school for Civil Affairs training, where she will learn about the culture, language, customs, religion and geography of Iraq. Additional training will include marksmanship and physical fitness to complete the preparation made prior to being deployed.
Before she left, students and faculty held a special farewell assembly to honor and pay tribute to the school psychologist.
Although Brunk said she feels it’s her patriotic duty to fulfill her service in the war in Iraq, she hopes that she does not disappoint her students. "I hope that the students will understand that I am not ‘running out’ on them, but being requested to fulfill a responsibility equal to what they may have to encounter once they leave the hallowed halls of NYSSD," she said. "I can’t begin to express how the students and staff have made the experience of working here not only a daily learning challenge, but an environment that promotes growth through dedication and belief in one’s self and those we serve."
A New York State School for the Deaf employee can’t say that she is headed to Afghanistan this year.
But Patricia Brunk told her students before she left, "I am bright enough to surmise that it will be a warm and sandy year, but not in Hawaii or Florida."
A member of the Army Reserves for eight years, Brunk is a psychologist at the school. She left her civilian job recently to begin training for deployment to Afghanistan. She resides in Blossvale with her husband. They have lived in the area since Brunk took her job at the School for the Deaf in the summer of 2006.
The female soldier credits her parents and brother for her decision to serve Uncle Sam. "My father was in the Marine Corps during the Korean Conflict, and my mother entered the Army near the end of World War II," Brunk said. "At the age of 17, my brother enlisted in the Army and spent three years in Germany. He was too young to appreciate how fortunate he was. I followed suit when I was 20 and entered the Marine Corps Reserves."
Following an honorable discharge, Brunk was out of the Reserves for 14 years until a friend talked her into joining again, she said.
"I let a work-out buddy at the Rome Family YMCA talk me into rejoining," Brunk said. "I found to my dismay that I was too old for the USMC, but was just right for the Air National Guard. So off I went to be trained and to work in the field of avionics — electronic systems on planes."
After three years, in June of 2000, Brunk sought an officer appointment and signed up with the Army Reserves. Since, she has served in the capacity of adjutant, executive officer and company commander. Brunk is now an officer evaluations coordinator.
"On Monday (April 21), I received a call reminding me that I have been on a volunteer list since 2002, and it was my turn to fulfill my obligation on a full-time basis," she said.
Brunk will attend school for Civil Affairs training, where she will learn about the culture, language, customs, religion and geography of Iraq. Additional training will include marksmanship and physical fitness to complete the preparation made prior to being deployed.
Before she left, students and faculty held a special farewell assembly to honor and pay tribute to the school psychologist.
Although Brunk said she feels it’s her patriotic duty to fulfill her service in the war in Iraq, she hopes that she does not disappoint her students. "I hope that the students will understand that I am not ‘running out’ on them, but being requested to fulfill a responsibility equal to what they may have to encounter once they leave the hallowed halls of NYSSD," she said. "I can’t begin to express how the students and staff have made the experience of working here not only a daily learning challenge, but an environment that promotes growth through dedication and belief in one’s self and those we serve."