Oskaloosa police officer prepares for military service in Poland
Aug. 23—OSKALOOSA — A local police officer is gearing up for service to his country on an international scale as part of the Iowa Army National Guard.
Officer Andrew O'Day of the Oskaloosa Police Department has had one enduring dream since childhood: to serve his community and his country as a police officer and a soldier.
"When I was a kid, all I can remember is playing army man and police officer with my siblings," O'Day said. "That's all I wanted to do, is be a police officer and join the military."
That dream held true over the years, and with the support of his family, O'Day was able to fulfill it while still a student at Oskaloosa High School.
"Since the National Guard allows you to join at the age of 17, I thought it'd be awesome to, with my parents' permission ... to sign me up for it as a junior in high school here at Oskaloosa, and they were super supportive of it. My dad was in the Air Force, he did time in Europe as well with the Air Force ... He was super supportive of it. My mom, being the momma bear that she is ... She wanted to make sure it was the choice that I wanted to make, because I signed a six-year contract. As someone under the age of 18, it's a big step."
It ended up being the right choice for O'Day, who signed his contract with the Iowa Army National Guard the week after his 17th birthday. He chose the job title Motor Transport Operator and is responsible for driving "anything with wheels in the military."
"After going through the training between my junior and senior year, I went to Fort Jackson, South Carolina for 10 weeks for basic training. Then, after I graduated high school, the week after I went to Fort Leonard, Leonard Wood, Missouri for eight weeks of AIT, it's your Advanced Individual Training."
While most high school seniors were reveling in their newfound freedom, O'Day was going through the intense experience of training for the United States Army, chasing his childhood dream of serving his country in uniform. His hard work and dedication have paid off. O'Day recently earned a promotion and is now Sergeant O'Day of 1133rd Transportation Company.
"It comes with a lot more responsibilities," O'Day said. "I can no longer just be told what to do. It's now [me] telling people what to do and taking orders from high command. It's awesome. I love doing it."
O'Day spent this past year fulfilling the second part of his childhood dream, attending the Law Enforcement Academy and becoming an officer with the Oskaloosa Police Department. He has been serving the Oskaloosa community for almost a year and is every bit as passionate about his work as a policeman now as he was when he was running around with his siblings playing pretend.
However, things are about to change.
During his time at the academy in December of 2021, O'Day received a life-changing phone call from the National Guard. His company would be mobilizing to Poland later in 2022.
Now, with almost a year as a policeman under his belt, O'Day is preparing for a fall deployment to Poland with the 1133rd to do work transporting equipment and supplies. The last time the 1133rd was activated into federal service was 2008, when the company mobilized to support Operations Noble Eagle, Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom and the global war on terrorism.
"I'll be gone in the next few months for quite some time," O'Day said. "I wouldn't have it any other way. My entire goal, being such a homebody, I love my community, I love my state and I love my country. So I can serve the City of Oskaloosa by being a police officer here in Osky, I can serve my community, my state, by being in the National Guard, but it's also a part of the large branch, the Army, so I'm also serving the country at the same time and doing what I love, and that's helping people ... I hope I get to do that while I'm in Europe."
While he's proud to be serving his country in Europe, O'Day says there's no easy way to prepare for service overseas.
"There's no real way to prepare yourself from being taken away from your family and your job and everything that you know, and going to a completely foreign, different country. Different languages, different everything. There's no real good way to prepare. It's just a lot of 'I love you' texts and getting things right with family, and making sure that everything is in line for when you leave, that things can be taken care of.
"I'm going to miss everybody. I can prepare myself physically by working out, but three quarters of the battle is mental," he said.
Still, O'Day wouldn't trade the career he's chosen for the world. The Oskaloosa Police Department has supported him like a second family as he prepares to deploy, O'Day says, and when he returns, he's looking forward to picking up as a police officer right where he left off.
Looking back on his time spent playing army with his siblings, O'Day hopes that kids who dream of service to their country can pursue their dreams as he's been able to.
"Pursue your dreams. If that's a dream that you want, achieve it. When I was six years old, running around with branches stuck down the back of my shirt, trying to hide like I was an army man, it was a dream. Now that it's reality, I'm not sticking branches down my back and pretending that I'm a bush, but I am wearing camouflage, I'm doing everything that I've ever dreamt of, and it's the same as a police officer. It's everything that I've ever dreamt of," he said.
Channing Rucks can be reached at crucks@oskyherald.com.
