Published: November 20, 2009 07:35 pm      

Home for the Holiday

Local National Guardsman looking forward to Thanksgiving

Capt. Bobby Cabaniss has a lot to be thankful for this year. His family, his love for his country, opportunities overseas that most never get to experience — and of course, the Big Blue.

Cabaniss is a Medical Operation Officer with the Kentucky National Guard, the 138 Fires Brigade out of Lexington. He’s looking forward to heading home for the Thanksgiving holiday — though home is a long away right now, as the Somerset man is all the way on the other side of the world.

Cabaniss is in Afghanistan, working with the Kentucky Agribusiness Development Team. It’s a unique experience, as the 60-person operation made of up Kentucky National Guardsman is tasked with improving quality of life for Afghan farmers by teaching them advanced farming and livestock techniques. Cabaniss describes his role as a marketing specialist and “jack-of-all-trades.”

“I have seen and been places very few Americans have ever been,” said Cabaniss. “Being 52 years of age, I consider myself very lucky to be part of this. I spent 7 years on active duty in the United States Marine Corps and never got off the East Coast.”

Cabaniss served in the United States Marine Corps from 1981-93, reaching the rank of Captain. He was out of the service for 18 years, and moved to Somerset in 1992, where he and wife Nancy raised children Christine and Bobby Jr., both of whom graduated from Somerset High School.

In 2006, however, the tug of the serviceman’s life was felt on Cabaniss’ shoulder once again, and he joined the Kentucky National Guard. The experience — though certainly not always easy — has been rewarding in a number of different ways for Cabaniss, especially the good he gets to perform in the lives of the Afghan people.

“Kids are kids — these poor kids in Afghanistan have nothing. They live from day to day, they have very little education, and very few of them can even read,” said Cabaniss, who added that many of them suffer from malnutrition — something he can help alleviate in his role with the ADT.

“I feel that the ADT mission can play a major role in helping the Afghan farmer to get back on their feet and start living a better life,” he said. “As a team we plan on focusing on what we call the Circle of Life: greenhouses for raising vegetables, wells and proper irrigation, cool storage to help them get through the winter, fruit trees, honey bees, grains (and) wheat. The most important (way) we can support the local farmers is through self-sustainment after we leave.”

Cabaniss plans on being fed well this coming week — back stateside. Cabaniss is serving a one-year tour and expects to be home for good next summer, but he will get to return home and enjoy Thanksgiving with his family. His plans include driving to Mobile, Ala., to see his father, an 84-year-old veteran of World War II and the Korean and Vietnam Wars, being with his wife and kids, and even watching the annual Kentucky-Tennessee football grudge match and maybe taking in a Kentucky basketball game.

Still, he wouldn’t trade tickets for the Wildcats for the sense of pride he feels serving his country in the National Guard.

“I have always believed in the concept of ‘citizen solider’,” he said. “It still amazes me that our young men and women volunteer to serve their country and state.”

He pointed to a specific example of courage and duty: the ice storm which crippled much of Kentucky last winter, knocking out power and makes for dangerous conditions.

“The entire National Guard was called out, and these young men and women helped our state avoid a catastrophe,” he said. “You take a 22-year-old soldier or marine on active service, they may know their military job very well, but take a National Guard soldier, they know their military job extremely well, but they also bring their civilian skills with them.

“Bottom line, if they are willing to volunteer to serve, then I should volunteer to lead.”