Salute to veterans — Capt. Rebecca Peters: seeking challenge, sense of purpose

Earning bachelor's and master's degrees and teaching weren't challenging enough for Rebecca Peters, and so she joined the Missouri Army National Guard.

A decade later, she is a captain and a company commander, and she has found a challenge that can be difficult at times but is also personally and professionally rewarding.

"I thought about joining right after high school, but I always had that, 'maybe you can't get through' or 'what if it's not for me', but I joined at 27. I have made it all the way through. I can do hard things, and I can push myself and be successful," she explained.

A Southeast Missouri native and graduate of Delta High School, Peters serves as full-time training officer and forward support company commander for the Guard's 1140th Engineer Battalion. Headquartered in Cape Girardeau, the battalion also has units in Farmington, Festus and Macon.

The captain said after graduating high school, she studied at Three Rivers College before attending Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, Missouri. After four years in the classroom, she wanted more.

"I wanted something that would challenge me a little bit and give me a bigger sense of purpose," she said.

And so, she joined the Guard.

After completing basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, she began officer candidate school there. The school also included stints in Washington and South Dakota. She commissioned as a lieutenant in 2014.

During her time in the Guard, she has served in a number of state emergency duty and civil disturbance missions. Combined with two weeks of annual training each year, time away from her husband and two children has been the biggest challenge of her military service.

"The time away from family, which, I know, I've never deployed, so I don't have that 10-month to a year away from my family yet, but just that time away from family when you are always feeling like you are missing out on part of their childhood or missing out on some family time. To me, that's my No. 1 concern," she noted.

Peters said she is fortunate to have plenty of support.

"I am very lucky that I have a very supportive husband, and I have a very supportive family at home as well," she explained. "If a (state mission) comes up, they know I am going to be working around the clock. So, my parents pitch in, and his parents pitch in. I am very lucky that I have that support. Not everyone does."

One of the jobs of the National Guard is to respond to state emergencies, and Capt. Rebecca Peters of the Missouri Army National Guard's 1140th Engineer Battalion said she has served on a number of natural disaster and civil disturbance missions.Courtesy of Capt. Rebecca Peters

Leadership role

As the battalion's full-time training officer, the captain's job is to ensure the individual soldiers are progressing in their career. Typical duties include ensuring the soldiers attend necessary schools and training courses, as well as processing orders and pay.

"Anything we need to do to get them out the door," Peters said.

During monthly drills, her job is to keep the battalion's soldiers focused on their mission.

"Monthly drill is getting the training plan outlined, making sure the soldiers know what objectives they need to do whenever they come to drill, making sure everybody is prepared and knows what time to show up, what uniform to be in," she noted.

Two weeks of annual training is a big part of the battalion's schedule. The past couple years, the battalion has traveled to Fort Chaffee Joint Maneuver Training Center in western Arkansas. Licensing drivers and securing convoy clearances are important pieces of the mission.

"That's the stuff that nobody ever thinks about that needs done," Peters said.

Capt. Rebecca Peters, full-time training officer for the Missouri Army National Guard's 1140th Engineer Battalion, headquartered in Cape Girardeau, inspects a vehicle as workers install communications equipment in the battalion's vehicles Thursday, Oct. 27.Rick Fahr

Relationships are key

The best part of her service, the captain said, is the people.

"I've made some of the best friends in the Guard. I know if I need anything, if I am struggling with anything, they are there to support me and vice versa," she said. "Friendships and the camaraderie is one big thing. ... I am doing this for the citizens, and I am doing this for other Guard members to make sure they have a good role model and somebody they can look up to and that they know they can turn to me if they ever need anything."

That trust is the foundation of a military unit, Peters contended.

"I want our company to be a team where we can count on each other. Whenever we are in our darkest hour, I want us to be able to call anybody up and be able to count on that person to help us get through," she said. "My big thing as a leader is I want them to know I am here for them at all times, and I want all of our soldiers to be there for one another, too."

Peters said she enjoys leading a company but the nature of the military means she probably will advance out of a primary leadership role at some point.

"I'm going to stay in command as long as I can because I love being in command, but I will probably move over to a staff position," she said.

Her favorite military memory? It focuses on family.

"My brother just retired as a chief master sergeant from the Air National Guard. So, going up to his retirement ceremony at Jefferson Barracks (Missouri) and then seeing all the relationships he was building throughout his 24 years and how much he cared about his soldiers and, in turn, how much his soldiers cared about him and hated to lose him, that is something I want to aspire to be like," the captain recalled. "Seeing him in uniform. I was in uniform. We got a big family picture. It was just that sense of pride and purpose."