Kiss Country Salutes 1st Lt. Mitch Pabst – Our Service Member of the Week

Every week Kiss Country strives to say Thank You!  Thank You to the men and women in the U.S. Armed Forces who give so freely to keep the rest of us from harm's way.  And this week is no different.  We just received this submission that moved us all.

I’d like to salute my son, 1^st Lt. Mitch Pabst, a member of Louisiana Army National Guard.  Mitch, a 2006 graduate of C.E. Byrd, joined the Guard as a student at Louisiana Tech in 2007. He’s been activated for stateside emergencies, such as hurricanes and the BP oil spill, but this is the first time he has deployed overseas.  He actually transferred from his unit in Ruston to his current unit, the 2225th Multi-Role Bridge Company based in Marrero, because he knew they were scheduled to deploy to Afghanistan and he wanted to serve.

From the early years of playing Army as a member of the Highland Militia, through his years as a Byrd lacrosse player, it has been a pleasure and a challenge to watch him grow into the leader he has become.  I’ve been able to talk to him a few times since he’s been over there, and, thanks to modern technology, I’ll see an occasional Facebook post.  Although it sounds like the conditions where he is now are more like an extended camping trip, he has continued to sound upbeat and positive.  I think it’s been harder on his mom, especially over the holidays.  She’s the letter writer, and writes him once a week.  We hung his stocking for him over Christmas and Santa filled it with goodies.  Now I just need to box up a care package and send it to him.

The 2225th’s soldiers are engineers who specialize in building bridges to ensure their fellow forces remain mobile – the symbolism of “building bridges” is not lost on me.  We are all so very proud of you son.

Michael Pabst
Proud Parent of a U.S. Army Soldier