Ret. Master Sgt. Guy Sing
U.S. Army | 20 years
Sing's interest in joining the military began with watching movies like Rambo while growing up in St. James but being a soldier — and eventually developing others — was part of his destiny.
"I just loved it. Whenever there was a chance to re-enlist, I did," Sing said. "There's nothing else out there for me to do that I could really be happy with. The great thing about the military is that there's always goals, and you know what those goals are, and you're just kind of instructing them how to achieve those goals."
He enlisted at age 17 and eventually completed air assault and master rappel schools before becoming a drill sergeant, a role ascended to by roughly 10 percent of troops.
"I had really strong, great role models," Sing said. "I was like, 'That's who I want to be someday.' And they carried themselves with a lot of honor. "It was a great honor to be a drill sergeant, and it's one of the most demanding assignments."
Sing, who was at Fort Knox, Kentucky, on 9-11, completed two deployments to Iraq and one to Kuwait. This will be his first trip to New York.
Sing's post-service duties included guiding groups through the United Heroes League's obstacle course in Hastings. He is now working to help veterans access benefits in Olmstead County — a soldier helping others.
"It's a really special moment to help those that really didn't think that they could receive any kind of benefits from the VA," Sing said. "It's my Vietnam veterans. We all know about Vietnam veterans, we all know about the Vietnam War, but to actually sit down and discuss their experiences and all the chemicals that were thrown at them during that war, and all those conditions that are caused by those chemicals that they were exposed to, it's eye-opening.
"And then, the war itself. I served with all the technology. They didn't have that technology. They had incandescent light bulbs in their flashlights. They didn't have GPS or night vision," Sing continued. "So just to hear their stories and how they were fighting this massive war against a relentless enemy with hardly anything in a very nasty terrain and environment — those people need my help. Those families need my help. Those widows, those surviving spouses, need my help. That's what I really love about my job. It's providing that help for them."
The fact that many soldiers who served in Vietnam were mistreated when they returned is not lost on Sing.
"We were given everything in my generation. We were handed so much. The welcome home was amazing," Sing said. "That's what you look forward to when you're in a deployed situation, is that welcome home, that day when you're reuniting with your family, and they didn't have that. They had to take the uniform off in San Francisco. And then, of course, they didn't have all these benefits."