Afghanistan veteran, 59, RE-ENLISTS in the army after a 10-year hiatus for one last ‘hurrah’.. and will even serve in the same unit as his son
- Afghanistan veteran is re-enlisting in the army at the age of 59 as a last ‘thrill’
- Monte L. Gould first joined the Marine Corps in 1978 & later joined civil affairs
- He retired from service to spend more time with his family but now has itchy feet
An Afghanistan veteran is re-enlisting in the army at the age of 59 and will be joining the same unit as his son.
Staff Sgt. Monte L. Gould will undergo basic combat training to rejoin the army after a 10-year hiatus. He plans to join the 405th Civil Affairs Battalion’s detachment out of Las Vegas, Nevada.
The former marine described his bid to reenter the army as a ‘last hurrah’, describing the opportunity to serve his country as a ‘thrill’.
Staff Sgt. Monte L. Gould (right) is re-enlisting in the army at the age of 59 and will be joining the same unit as his son
Staff Sgt. Monte L. Gould will undergo basic combat training to rejoin the army after a 10-year hiatus
‘If I’m lucky, I got 20 more years and then I drop dead,’ he told the Army Times.
‘To me, this is a last hurrah. To have the opportunity to serve again is a thrill. I’m looking down the gun barrel at 60, and I know all the health problems that come after that.’
Gould has kept his fitness levels up during his time out of service and practices jiu jitsu. He also covers a distance of seven miles with a 50-pound weight each week.
Gould initially joined the Marine Corps in 1978 before working in law enforcement in California. He enlisted in the Army National Guard as an infantryman for the Desert Storm Operation in 1991 to expel occupying Iraqi forces from Kuwait.
Gould initially joined the Marine Corps in 1978 before working in law enforcement in California. He enlisted in the Army National Guard as an infantryman for the Desert Storm Operation in 1991 to expel occupying Iraqi forces from Kuwait
Gould deployed to Afghanistan in 2004
In the early 2000s, Gould joined civil affairs through an Army Reserve unit in Upland, California and was deployed to Afghanistan in 2004, where he served as a civil affairs team sergeant.
He later joined the 7th Psychological Operations Group, which is garrisoned at Moffett Field, California, before deciding in 2009 to leave the Army Reserve and settle down to spend more time with his wife and family.
Gould worked as a civil affairs soldier in the Army before retiring in 2009
Over a decade later, he got the itch again when his son switched from infantryman to Army Reserve to be a civil affairs specialist like his father and he decided to enlist once more.
Gould says he is determined to stay in the army as long as possible and set an example to younger soldiers.
He is not the oldest ex-serviceman to reenlist. According to the US Army Recruiting Command, a 68-year-old re-enlisted in July 1999.