“Someone once told me you do your first deployment for your country because it is what is asked. Your second deployment is for you. You know what to expect and know what is expected of you in combat. Your third deployment is for your friends and family.
“On the third deployment, you truly understand just how privileged we are to live in the USA. On the third deployment, you look at the American Flag and cannot help feeling pride and strength. It’s a feeling that never truly goes away.”
These are the words of 2003 Fannin County High School graduate and U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Abby Lanni, formerly Abby Arp.
Just over three weeks ago, on November 23, Lanni received “a brevet (early) promotion to lieutenant colonel as part of an overarching Army talent management strategy,” she said.
Lanni currently serves in the role of Deputy Chief of Staff for the U.S. Army Maneuver Support Center of Excellence at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri.
“I essentially assist the chief of staff in day-to-day functions to ensure the training brigades have all the necessary resources to train over 80,000 soldiers per year at Fort Leonard Wood,” she said.
Lanni’s military journey began after high school when she entered the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, June 30, 2003. She graduated May 26, 2007.
The academy is a prestigious, four-year institute that requires rigorous academic, physical and leadership guidelines for admission with a nine percent acceptance rate.
“I decided on West Point and a career of selfless service in the Army because I wanted a challenge,” Lanni said. “I wanted more out of my college experience, and thus, West Point just made sense. I also wanted to be a part of something special, something where people are motivated by a sense of duty, a sense of loyalty and a sense of service for the greater good.
“I’ve continued to serve because I love being a part of a team and working with people who serve something larger than themselves. The incredible things soldiers and our Department of the Army Civilians do day in and day out make all the long days and late nights worth it.”
During her military time, she has also been stationed at Fort Riley, Kansas, Fort Polk, Louisiana, and Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Her deployments include Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom-Afghanistan and Operation Freedom Sentinel- Afghanistan.
When asked for examples of her favorite memories in the service so far, she said, “Thanksgiving in Iraq and Afghanistan, early mornings on Peason Ridge preparing for a combined arms live fire range at Fort Polk, flying over the Hindu Kush Mountains in Northern Afghanistan, watching soldiers receive awards and promotions, the incredible sunrise and sunsets all around the world, looking behind me seeing 170 soldiers as part of our redeployment ceremony from Afghanistan, and lastly, forging relationships where friends become family.”
In the future, Lanni said she is “looking forward to competing for battalion command next year. I will definitely stay in to the 20-year mark and maybe even beyond.”
Offering advice to anyone considering joining the military, she said, “The military gives life skills that simply can’t be found in the civilian sector. The military teaches teamwork and resiliency, and truly values each member of the team. The military isn’t just a job, it’s a way of life.”
Lanni is the daughter of Terry and Julie Arp, of McCaysville.
She is the wife of Steve Lanni who is currently serving as Deputy Area Engineer for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Kansas City District at Fort Leonard Wood.