Dearborn Next staff talked with Devon in early October. Read the interview below to learn more about how Devon figured out his current path. Devon is happy to connect with fellow alumni and offer support as you navigate your next steps! Reach him at devlewisthompson@gmail.com.

 

What are you up to now, and how did you get to this point?

Currently, I’m enlisted in the U.S. Army. I’m stationed at Fort Drum, New York. How I got to the Army is a long story. As I was graduating high school, I applied to quite a few colleges, 6 or 7. I got into most of them, but I realized that there had been a lot of pressure on me to go into college straight out of high school – especially since that's been a big trend in my family. The whole time, I didn’t want to go to college yet. Especially since I didn’t know what I wanted to do – it didn’t make sense to me to waste that money since I didn’t know what I wanted to do. I had a lot of talks with people I was close with, and my mom told me that if I wasn’t ready, don’t go. That made me feel OK not committing to college. I was working for about a year. I was full-time at FedEx. That was OK. I was just blowing through the days, and I wasn’t really being challenged. And that was the big thing for me – if I’m not feeling challenged, I have no problem putting myself in a place where I am. I didn’t tell anybody, but I went straight to the recruitment center. I had talks with a recruiter for about a week. He told me I’d be a 13J, 13 Juliet. This is a job where I would be shooting rockets. He said it’s a lot of technical data and a lot of math – all that stuff. I was thinking, ok, that sounds like something challenging to me, and something that allows me to grow. And the Army overall is something that will challenge me. And having this job on top of that will be a big help. So, a month or so later, a week before I left, that’s when I decided to tell everyone. I didn’t want everyone putting in input and putting thoughts in my head. A week before I left, I told everyone, “I’m going to join the Army, and I’m going to Oklahoma.” That was August, 2021. And that’s how I ended up in the Army.

 

Can you describe a bit about your last two years?

My initial training was Oklahoma. I was there for my basic training and job training. I was there for 7 months. February, 2022 is when I found out I was getting shipped off to Korea. I went to Korea late February, and I spent all of 2022 and a little 2023 in Korea. That experience was amazing – something that a kid from Dorchester could dream about. It was amazing to experience an actual completely different culture – completely different way of life. I spent a lot of time in Seoul and the cities around and trying different foods. It’s funny how diverse it is. People would think Korea is mostly Koreans. But no, I met so many different kinds of people. There were a lot of Haitians, Indians – and they all spoke fluent Korean. It was so interesting to see how such different communities get along. It was an amazing experience. From Korea, once I came back to the United States that’s how I got where I am now. Now I’m in upstate New York. Real upstate.

How has that transition been?

It’s completely different. My leadership here is different. In Korea, the leadership I had there was more lenient when it came to different aspects of the Army. They had a better understanding of – hey, I’m not feeling good today – they’d say go get some help and get what you need to do. We still had to uphold that upstanding Army picture, but they were more lenient on our personal lives because they knew we were so far away from home. But here, in upstate New York, because I am back in the states, they are a lot more strict with the whole image, and my interactions with the outside personnel. It’s like a huge community. Even the civilian side plays a big part in my role in the Army. They really expect us to carry around this charisma that we’re supposed to have when dealing with the locals that live out in New York. They’re more strict about deadlines and timing – I need you to do this by this time, no later. I work a LOT now. I don’t really have a lot of personal time. Even on weekends, there’s a lot that goes on that they need soldiers to handle. I don’t mind – I volunteer to do stuff. Being here in the states with different leadership – there’s a lot of stress put on the young soldiers.

 

Is your work rewarding? Why or why not?

Yes, sometimes. Depends on what I’m doing. When I was in Korea, I would say 100%. Because we were in a completely different country – like literally in the middle of someone’s neighborhood – we did a lot of community outreach. During Christmas, we’d go out to local kids and give them presents. We’d go door to door and hand out coal so people had heat. In the summer, there were a lot of different activities we held – that was very rewarding. Being able to be that soldier that kids looked up to protect them. Letting them know that we’re here and we got you – that part is very, very rewarding. My job side of it, a lot of the time, it’s hard to do because I have to make a lot of pretty life threatening decisions, to say the least. That part can be very stressful. Of course, it’s rewarding when you protect the city or some of your own counterparts from different types of firefights – sometimes it just sucks – that I have to be out here fighting anyway. That part isn’t so rewarding in that aspect.

 

How do you balance your personal values and beliefs with the demands of the Army?

One of the first things they teach you when you come in that’s huge is that when joining the Army, you’re dropping that civilian side of yourself. When joining the Army, you become the Army, and the Army has one goal: to protect and serve. Having that aspect – that my sole purpose is to do what the Army asks me, regardless – even, despite my own personal values. Of course, I would never want to hurt anybody – but you have to learn that the civilian side of you has to be dormant. You’re a small part of the whole with a much bigger goal. Dealing with that is a matter of, hey, this may suck, but it needs to be done, somebody has to do it, and if I’m in the position to do it, then by all means, I will.

 

How has the Army changed you, and how have you held true to yourself?

The ways I’ve been keeping true to that same Devon – it’s real easy to lose who you are – the ways I do that is a matter of building up a network. Still having friends and creating those dynamics with different people. The Army is full of all types of people. When you meet all these types of people and connect with them and build these long-lasting relationships, that’s everything. On a daily basis, I still talk to people I was in Korea with. A lot of times, you’re gonna feel alone and get caught up in work. Creating that network and those friendships – without it, it’s going to be rough. Having people at home who are cheering you on also makes a huge difference. People who believe in you and who are proud of you allow me to keep me who I am –  I may be in uniform 9 times out of 10 now, but I’m still Devon. It gets real difficult sometimes –it’s easy to get caught up in the Army mindset.  But the Army has allowed me to grow. I realized one of the big problems I had was commitment – I was really scared to commit to a college, to a job. The Army has forced me to learn how to commit. I have no choice but to commit, or I would be breaching a contract and could get arrested. I took that time to really sit down with myself and try to figure out all my different problems and what I’m going through. I think that really allowed me to grow into an adult – being on my own, feeding myself, figuring out how to manage my money and time.

 

Where do you see yourself in 3 years (6 years after High School graduation)?

I plan on going back to school. Still no set degree yet – but I definitely do plan to go back to school. For the next three years, I’ll probably still be in the Army. I’ll start taking classes soon so I can be in the Army and work towards my degree at the same time. I’ll also work to get as many certifications as I can – just go through it. Save my money so that when I finally decide I’m done with the Army, I can go get my own place and kind of start my adult life.

 

You already have so much responsibility. What do you mean by “start your adult life”? 

Even though I’m in the Army and doing adult things, I still rely heavily on the Army. I rely on the Army to pay me, to provide my housing, to provide my healthcare, and things like that. When I finally decide to move on I’ll need to navigate those adult things on my own – that’s are what I’m referring to.

 

What are your long-term goals? 

Honestly, I have no idea. All I know is that whatever I’m doing, I hope that I’m simply happy with what I’m doing, or even content with what I’m doing. Whatever I’m doing – I’m sure I’ll still be trying to build my life – I hope that in that time I keep building on. I hope I’m proud of what I’m doing, confident in what I’m doing, and making a difference. 

 

What advice would you give to younger alumni coming up behind you?

The number one thing I’d say is don’t rush anything. If you don’t feel like you’re ready for something, don’t do it. Find out the steps you need to take to get to a place where you do feel ready. When you start doing things you aren’t ready for, you get lost in the sauce, if you know what I mean. You can lose a really big part of yourself doing that. You’re on no one’s timeline but your own. Don’t let the world and the media and people around you dictate where you should go. Figure out what you should do for yourself and take the time and steps you need to so that you are ready.

 

Also, definitely building a circle. My family is my circle. When joining the Army, they were very supportive of my decision. A lot of them didn’t agree, but they still supported that it was my decision to make. Finding your people and finding a circle that supports you no matter how your day is and getting rid of the people that aren't’ good for you is huge. That plays a big part in your success.