Susan Wagoner
CHOUTEAU —
A former Mayes County resident with strong family ties still in the area recently completed basic training and is headed for Korea.
Cody Osborn, the son of Chouteau Police Dispatcher Amy Linam, is a former student of Chouteau Schools. He graduated from Weleetka in 2007. He is the grandson of Tom and Dell Ann Wilkins of Chouteau.
“I enlisted in the United States Army in October of last year,” Osborn said from a cell phone on his way to Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., to leave for Korea.
Enlisting brought with it the risk of going to Afghanistan or Iraq, but that did not deter the young man.
“I joined because I wanted to see the world and get paid for doing it,” he said with a smile in his voice.
Though he is fine with his assignment to the Garrison-Humphreys U.S. Army Installation in the Republic of Korea, Osborn knows the risk of future deployment to conflict areas is high.
“If I’m needed over there, then I will go. Period,” he said. It is a fact that is never far from his mother’s mind.
“I’m very proud of him, but I’m scared too,” Linam said of her son. “Any mother would.”
For now, Osborn will spend his first several days in a classroom when he arrives in Korea. The newcomer orientation program is essential and mandatory.
“I will be going to school to learn about where I am,” he said.
A memorandum about
the orientation details its
purpose.
“Effective 26 January 2010, a Newcomers Orientation will be conducted every Tuesday. This ongoing weekly program will ensure newly arrived personnel receive timely information regarding community resources, policies, and programs,” it stated. “The weekly Newcomers Orientation, augmented by the 3-day Korean Cultural Awareness training program, will further prepare newly arrived personnel for their assignment to the Republic of Korea through language training, cultural awareness, and tours.”
Osborn signed up for Army service for the next four years. He is expected to spend six months to a year in Korea.
While there, he will drive a truck for the Army. He intends to take college classes during his enlistment and, after his time of service is complete, hopes to find a career as a mechanic, continuing to use his training and experience.
Linam said she was shocked of her son’s decision to enlist, but has already noticed changes in him after basic training.
“It’s different,” she said. “The ‘Yes, ma’am and yes, sir’ was strange at first, but he is definitely heading in the right direction.”
