James F. Collins III stands by a cannon at Navy Circle Wednesday before he heads to Fort Lewis, Wash., to join the 2nd Infantry Division of the U.S. Army. (Jon Giffin The Vicksburg Post)

[1/1/05] For James F. Collins III, service in the U.S. Army is partly following in the footsteps of relatives and partly a desire to serve his country.

Collins, a native of Vicksburg, completed his basic training in the Army at Fort Sill, Okla., in August and his advanced individual training as an ammo specialist at Redstone Arsenal at Huntsville, Ala., Dec. 1. Now at age 21 with a wife and a 4-month-old daughter, Collins will be leaving next week for a cross-country trip to Fort Lewis, Wash., where he will join the 3rd Battalion of the 2nd Infantry Division and be a private first class.

“Both my grandpas were in the service,” Collins said, explaining how he became interested in the military.

One grandfather was the late Thomas Edgar Darby Jr. who served in the Army in World War II and Korea. The other is James F. Collins Sr. of Orr City, Texas, who served in the Army in World War II.

The other reasons for joining the Army are a bit more personal for the young soldier.

“I wanted to do something with my life,” he said. “I got tired of working around here for nothing. Actually, I want to serve my country.”

Although he signed the enlistment papers earlier, he headed off to nine weeks of basic training June 8. He reported for his advanced training but had that interrupted by the birth of his daughter, Katelyn, on Sept. 7. After some time at home with the newborn and his wife, Miranda, Collins returned to Redstone and completed his training.

When he reports to Fort Lewis, Collins said he expects to find out if and when his unit will be deployed to Iraq, as other American infantry divisions have been.

“If I have to go, I will go and serve my country,” he said. “I’m not going to be scared; I’m just going to do my job.”

He said as an ammo specialist, he will likely be assigned to an ammo supply depot and not to an actively fighting unit.

The only downside Collins said he sees would being away from his family. “More money and serving my country” will be the positives of overseas service.

He realizes his mother, Phyllis Collins, who works at Goldie’s Trail Bar-B-Q, will worry about him if he has to go to Iraq, but she shouldn’t worry too much because he won’t be near front lines and he will have his training and his “battle buddies” to help keep things as safe as possible.

“I won’t be happy, but I will be content,” he said.

Since he looked up to his two grandfathers and their military service, Collins said he wants the same kind of respect for himself. That is why he’s thinking seriously about making the Army his career.

But, he said, Officer Candidate School is not for him. He wants to remain an enlisted man with the hope he can be promoted to one of the top non-commissioned officer slots. The sergeants and sergeants major do more work in the field and more closely with the troops.