1SG (R) Cris Gates

1SG (R) Cris Gates sat down with me for Heroes I Know.

14 Zulu. One of the last 14 Sierras at that echelon. They switched them to 14 Papa. Short-range air defense. He had a 2-44 shirt on.

I served with his father. Ray Gates. Black hat. Smoking buddy. We solved world problems in the AMO building. Cris was a kid with a basketball at the cookouts. He grew up at Bragg. Pressed BDUs. Shined boots. Ray-Bans. He told the other kids his dad would whip their dad.

He thought we were infantry. Chris Parker. Rob Maggot. John Hines. Dan Bennett. Tim Bingham. Noi Garner. He came in in 04. Second tour to Iraq he ran into Rob Maggot and about lost it. John and Sher Hines showed up at Fort Jackson when he graduated basic. John in first sergeant rank.

Brother went Air Force. After dad retired they moved him to Mount Airy, North Carolina. Mayberry. Small. Tight. He was the outcast. When dad passed he woke up. Recruiter. Three choices. None of them 11 Bravo. Dad had said there is no life for a man as an 11B after twenty years. 14 Sierra had the coolest video. Avenger over a dune. Stingers. He took it with no bonus. The drill sergeant laughed.

He stayed when Big Army said they were doing away with Avenger guys. Joe Benson was one of his AIT instructors. Fayetteville kid. Ninety-five percent on the VACR. Thirteen critical checks on the Stinger. CRAM. The new strikers. He is still clawing.

Advice for a kid joining. It is not personal. Pay attention. If it is illegal unethical or immoral ask the question. Repel. PLF. Treadwell. Go all in.

He would not call the battery to attention on the tape. Formation the next morning at 1100. Two NCOs getting PCS awards. He said he would have it recorded. He still walks into the regimental ADA room and looks at the pictures. His platoon is on that wall. Nobody had asked him his story. That is why we hit record. Get the story on tape before we are too old or too sick to tell it.