The training and molding that soldiers go through in the Army shapes them into the man or woman they are to become. Over the past 208 years the 22nd Infantry has been training soldiers who would go back into our nation and take the leadership they learned here to affect our society. The Deuce veteran we are going to highlight in this issue is Loren Collins.
Loren Collins is from Fort Collins Colorado and went to Rocky Mountain High School and Colorado State University. When he graduated college, Loren worked at the Colorado State Capitol. While there he realized that he was called to something more, so he went down to his recruiter.
When I asked him why he joined the Army he replied, “I always wanted to serve my country, especially after watching Top Gun. But my eyes weren't good enough to be a fighter pilot, so after seeing Black Hawk Down, I decided the Infantry was the way to go instead. Both my parents were cops, and I was brought up to revere the act of being there for others when nobody else could or would. Then after 9/11, I saw both the first responders rush into the smoke, disregarding their own safety, and then later on, the military picking up the torch and doing the same thing by taking the fight to the enemy. I wanted to be like them.”
Loren would end up coming to the 10th Mountain Division and 2nd Battalion 22nd Infantry Regiment Alpha Company. He would start as a squad automatic rifleman, become a team leader, and then tryout for the Sniper section. Then SGT Collins would eventually become a recon team leader (equivalent to a squad leader).
When asked about what it meant to part of the 22nd Infantry Regiment, he responded, “Being in the deuce to me meant a lot of things, especially when I first got here to A Co in Jan of 2017. The "pipe hitter" culture was still prevalent then, backed up by the presence of all those OG GWOT vets still throughout the mid-level ranks, and it set a standard to live up to. You aspired to be a part of that light infantry mystique, and there was righteous pressure to either prove yourself or face the consequences. Becoming a leader in the deuce then meant carrying on that tradition. There is a responsibility to actually be about it, not just talk about it. The deuce was still truly ‘loose’ back then. One of my favorite things was that we worked hard and played hard.”
SGT Collins would be deployed to Afghanistan in 2020 but due to the Covid-19 Pandemic was sent home after only a short time. Little did he know that he would be assisting the division in the Covid-19 response and leading newer soldiers in the important mission of keeping Fort Drum safe from this pandemic.
Not what he imaged when he extended his contract, but he did what our Regiment needed him to do.
SGT Collins got out of the Army in November of 2020. With the desire to serve others strengthened from his time in the 22nd he took his “Deeds not Words” mentality back to politics. Loren Collins is currently working as a legislative aide in the Colorado State Capitol and is in the Colorado National Guard.
When I asked Loren for his advice to soldiers who are still in the 22nd he said, “Nobody asked you to sign up, you are all here because you chose to be. Nobody owes you anything. Embody that concept. Own it. Live up to it. You owe it to your buddies, those that came before you, and those that you protect. Ask yourself each day how you stack against those that lived it during Operation Anaconda, Junction City or Overlord. Yearn to measure up to those legacies. Maybe that means going to the gym another time during the day, maybe it means cracking a book or even watching a documentary and learning about history. The job has its frustrations no doubt, but if all you're doing is playing video games and complaining your whole enlistment, you're not making it any harder for the enemy to kill you, should that time come. The same goes for leaders and those aspiring to be. Your luxury of thinking about only yourself is now gone. Show it.”
