Southeast Idaho Family Proud to Serve as they plan move to Morocco

Jared and Patricia Sorensen, along with their three children Meg, Cali, and Jovie, grew up in Grace and Soda Springs, and lived in Malad for a time, where they thought they might stay forever.  However, as the Sorensens know, staying in one place is not the standard course for many military families.  After recently living in Santaquin, Utah, the family will make their biggest move yet, to Morocco.  

While the family busily prepares for their move, Patricia took some time out of her schedule to speak with the Enterprise about what life is like for military families, and what they are looking forward to in their new adventure.  

I asked Patricia to talk about the couple’s background, and their connection to southeast Idaho.  Patricia explains, “Growing up in Soda Springs and Grace was amazing. I loved living in a small neighborhood where we would run around the neighborhood all day until the street lights came on. My husband loved living on a farm with mountains in his backyard. We loved both having a tight-knit community where everywhere you go you would see familiar faces. Believe it or not, we both loved knowing everyone in our classes and being involved with lots of activities at school.  We definitely are small-town people.  We started our family in Caribou County and ended up moving to Malad, ID.  That is where we thought we would grow old and have grandkids come to visit. We wanted to raise our family in a small town and have them have the same experiences as we did. The plan changed and the military moved us to Santaquin, UT, closer to my husband's military job.”

Jared joined the Army National Guard while still in high school on his 18th birthday.  “It wasn't his first plan but knew it was something he needed to do before he served his mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints,” Patricia says.  “Before the end of his initial contract of 8 years (we were married by then) he wanted to re-enlist despite our ‘agreement of getting out.’” According to Patricia, he had “fallen in love with his military community” and wanted to continue to see where it would take him. He later commissioned as an officer. In the beginning, the National Guard was a part-time military position he did with his regular job but it eventually brought him to a National Guard full-time position that took the family to Utah.

Although the family had initially wanted to raise the kids in southeast Idaho, Patricia says that “living in Utah Valley isn't as bad as we thought, but we do miss the ‘small town feel’ and the slower pace of life.  We tried to move to the smallest ‘town’ in Utah Valley (Santaquin), but we still have to drive everywhere on I-15,” she laughs.  “Our oldest graduated this year with 430 students in her graduating class in Payson.”  For comparison, Patricia points out that “mine was around 80ish in Soda Springs and my husband's was 40ish in Grace.”

Literally half-way around the world, Morocco will be a massive change for the family in many ways.  As far as Patricia can predict now, “we are excited for the ‘cultural explosion’ our whole family is going to get to experience.  This includes holidays, foods, people, and a totally different way of lie.  Being in Morocco will allow us to travel to places we wouldn't have immediate access to in the states (Europe and Africa). We also know our family will be given many service opportunities in the area we will be at.

Although the change will certainly be exciting, I asked Patricia how they will manage to stay “anchored” as a family with such a big change on the horizon?  Patricia explains that “We couldn't do it without our extended family and community support.  We already have family booking their flights for a visit.  It helps to have those events to look forward to.  We have kept our home in Santaquin, UT so that when we come ‘home’ we get to come ‘home’ to our neighbors and friends.”

The situation is somewhat unique to military families, in that they are to some extent subject to the needs of the position at any given time.  “We have had it easier than some as a military family.  My husband has traveled the world but only for a few weeks or a month at a time.  We have hit the jackpot by having him only go on one year long deployment. He has missed only a handful of major events but has been a phone call or a facetime away. We've been blessed with amazing military friends who have been a great support and who know first hand the struggles and complexities that come with it.”

If everything goes according to plan, this should be the last major move for the foreseeable future.  “We plan to return to Utah and pick back up where we left off,” Patricia says.  “Jared will return to the Utah National Guard and wait patiently for his next assignment. He is planning on retiring in a few years after we get back.”

For those who are considering becoming a military family, or who are dealing with some of the related issues either positive or negative, Patricia has these thoughts, “Being a military family has its ups and downs.  For sure the ‘ups’ outweigh the ‘downs.’  It really has blessed our whole family. Our kids have even had many opportunities with leadership experiences through camps and youth-groups.  Know your military and community resources and let others around you help.  Don't do it alone especially during a deployment or other hard assignments.  It's important to support our soldiers and their families because we need good men and women to serve our nation. We need to make it easier for them, not harder.”

The Enterprise would like to thank the Sorensens for taking time to speak with us, and more importantly to thank Jared and his family for their service.  “She leaves friends, neighbors, and fellow servicemember families with these words, “even though it seems daunting to join the military, it can open doors to paths and experiences that may not ever be possible elsewhere.  There are so many opportunities, even for families, that can come with military service (jobs, schooling, travel, leadership, activities)  And, you don't have to join the military or be a military family to show you value America and are patriotic. You can just help, uplift, and care for those you know who are a part of this community.”