“No one has all five of their kids join the Army!" 
        "Really? ALL of them at the same time"
“You’re kidding me, right?”
   "The Prince kid's.... the Army....  that’s just not possible!”
                     "They have been too sheltered, they'll never make it"                  
        “Wow – all five of them…that must really be hard on their mom.”
"Unbelievable! I have never seen them apart!"

           Such are the typical responses heard repeatedly whenever the subject arises regarding our family’s recent action. Many are supportive and offer encouragement for having embarked upon such a family commitment and certainly their expressions are appreciated. Others clearly figure it was a dumb move to make.  They look at us like we’ve got two heads for doing such a “drastic” thing – allowing all 5 siblings to join the armed forces in a time of war.

            Either way, it seems the community is certainly incredulous about it. But, without the background information on what governed the Prince family to take on such a venture – a family whose actions and life have never gone “by the book” that society wrote for raising a family – then it’s not really surprising no one understands why such a course would be embarked upon.

            The Newsletters only tell part of the story. The main articles are written by a long-time family friend who has been a practicing “free-lance reporter” of sorts for the family for many years – usually sending news reports to the family and keeping them abreast of events around the world and nation. Priscilla, whom the children refer to as their Aunt has taken on the challenge of writing about the family’s activities for the benefit of our troops. They are lively and interesting accounts and we realized that with all the “to-do” the Army made about the fact that we had five “children” joining the Army all at once, others might also find it interesting to see a bit of what such an action has engendered and how it is “all working out.” Consequently, the newsletters are being made available for the public.

            What’s missing from the accounts though, which center mainly on the mechanical aspects of what is being accomplished and encountered, is the foundation upon which each one joined the Army. The Prince children stated it openly to the Recruiters at the Huntsville Recruiting Station and again in a meeting they had with Major Frank Dias before any of them actually signed the enlistment papers. It is critical to know why they took this action – what was behind five siblings, between the ages of 28-34, all coming to the determination and agreement to join the U.S. Army at the same time?

            The Army commissioned an interview with three of the young men to ask this very question before any of them shipped out. Later their Recruiter asked a T.V. reporter from Bryan / College Station’s KBTX to come out and interview the siblings’ mother about the situation and how she was handling it all – both physically and more importantly, emotionally. In both cases, though the truth was stated clearly, as it was to Major Dias and many others within the Army and outside of it, there remains no true comprehension and the resulting articles reflect that lack of understanding.

        Citing the case with Major Dias, with whom we had a conference at our homestead’s reception area, he listened politely and interjected very few comments. The five siblings made the statement that they were joining the Army at the direction of their Father God who has governed our family from its inception and has governed the children’s lives since they were first presented to Him at 7 days old. This would not have been mentioned except that a problem had arisen which would have kept Fred, through no fault of his own, from having the ability to join his siblings in the Army. (The government was withholding the necessary SSN.) This problem was eliminated in about three weeks through the intervention of Major Dias dealing directly with the Social Security office in Bryan/College Station. His intervention was no light thing and he had to pull some clout to have them issue the number – which he and many others readily acknowledged was perfectly due Fred as a natural-born citizen of the United States.

         Further conversation with Major Dias that day prompted him to put forth three questions to the Prince siblings. The questions revealed clearly the status of his attitude towards the credibility of our statement that our Father precipitated this venture and, unfortunately, it also revealed his great lack of understanding about the reality of walking in the Living God. The questions were:

1. Is there anything else that would hinder you from joining the Army besides Fred’s need for an SSN?

2. Are you willing to lay down your life for your fellow soldiers? (Citing the Scripture, “Greater love hath no man than that he would lay down his life for his friends.”)

3. Do you understand that to join the Army is to agree to obey the orders of a superior officer unfailingly? And if any of those orders should conflict with orders you receive from God will you follow the orders of the Army?

       In a later interview the children’s mother had with B/C.S.’s KBTX news station, aired on May 9, 2008, only portions of the actual interview were cited, and only very few of Cindy Prince, their mother’s own words. When she mentioned the Living God, her words were later quoted as cut off in mid-sentence... During the interview, Cindy confided to the reporters that her “children” chose different MOSs and were separating for the first time in their lives just to see that they could and would remain stable in their Father God knowing that the Lord was right there with them and that all they had learned from Him at home - walking daily in the Lord - overcoming unbelievable challenges together – that this they could and would utilize in the Army – towards the service of their Country. The news interview cited only that the children’s education was extensive by any standards (true enough) but that even by Cindy’s own admission they were lacking in it and needed to go to the Army to gain that... (Education while valued, is not the motivation for joining) cutting off the rest of her sentence about their knowledge of a Living God and also omitting any tangible application of the Lord being with them - leaving in only the part about proving that they could remain stable!

            In the Huntsville Item a short article was also published, which while vaguely stating that the Prince children were joining the Army to “fulfill their commitment to Jesus Christ,” it too purposefully left out their statement that the Lord Jesus Christ is a Living real person whom they know of a certainty - who always had been and who would always be right there with them - having proven Himself alive and present here on earth again and again. They also omitted the most basic statement given as to why they would all join the Army as they did: namely that as His tabernacles they were directed to this course by Him because this was where He wished to show Himself strong and bring glory to His Father - our Father -God. 

             None of the articles, printed their statements regarding their confidence that our God is Living and has control of every situation, Army oriented or not, and that all this was being done for great good to our Country. The above declaration was made during the conference with Major Dias as the Prince’s response to his third question, Do you understand that to join the Army is to agree to obey the orders of a superior officer unfailingly? And if any of those orders should conflict with orders you receive from God will you follow the orders of the Army? The ‘children’ also made it clear the depth of their commitment to the Oath they were taking, by saying that those superior officers – to include the Commander in Chief himself are all subject to a Higher Power – who looks after the welfare of His own and would not allow their orders to conflict with their Father’s Divine course for them.

As for Major Dias's second question, "Are you willing to lay down your life for your fellow Soldiers?"  and a neighbor's question, "Are you prepared to take another man's life?" the statement was made that it would be utterly insane (very foolish) to enter into a Soldier's commitment without a being fully prepared to do both!

                                             

 Joshu, the oldest brother has this to say:
"Hello, My name is Joshu Prince and this is what I observed as some of the major drawing cards in the Army’s advertisements to potential recruits (along with the promise that you will become a “better person” for joining and following on to become a Soldier) is the promise of a vast number of benefits they will provide. Essentially, it is a promise that if you will submit yourself to be “made over” (sort of “broken down as a civilian and rebuilt as a soldier”) and learn to do everything in your life “the Army way,” receive the thoroughly comprehensive training they provide in every facet of life and then apply all that to the purposes and goals of the Army, in return you will receive an extensive array of benefits – everything from meals, clothing, housing, transportation and state-of-the-art healthcare to community schools for your children, family support, discounted services and goods, well-stocked military stores with tax-free shopping (the PX) and a host of other benefits small and great. And there is no doubt that to the best of their ability they deliver on a great deal of what they promise – as those things go. Even though we joined for what we could do for our Country - it is interesting to observe how the all-volunteer system works..."

Regarding some of those benefits, PVT Joshu sent us a letter just recently, written toward the end of his time spent as an Orderly. He commented on how much they go through – the  Sergeants, the civilian personnel and all the other people involved, NCO’s and Officers of every type – to process some 400 or more new recruits through Reception Battalion in less than a week. The recruits all come in batches of 300-400 and everyone has to be taken through a non-stop in-processing procedure that usually lasts about 5 days. Haircuts, health checks, dental scans, vision checks, financial planning, uniform and equipment issue, shots, classes on basic Army procedure and quite a bit more all has to be done for 400 or more raw recruits in just a few days to prepare them for BCT. Then everything has to be set up for the next batch to come in a couple days later. Sometimes there are not near enough Drill Sergeants available to take care of everything and there is no wonder they get a little frazzled from time to time. As an Orderly, PVT Joshu found himself running back and forth across an area the size of a large Walmart parking lot almost non-stop and once worked a 23 hour day because there was no Orderly to take the day shift after he had pulled the night shift. (Thankfully, PVT Joshu actually likes that kind of busyness – as long as a little sleep time can come afterward! – and he was happy to help. But he acquired a good understanding of what goes into doing so much for so many in such a short amount of time and doing it over and over again each week for every new batch.)

Once, during a conversation with a new recruit, PVT Joshu was very glad to hear the young man saying that he was thankful for the Army and all it was providing – the most notable thing being a real chance to start all new and leave behind the mess he’d made of his own life. The recruit saw that really the Army was a new start for anyone because things were so different from civilian life, but the discipline and its benefits he thought were very good. He was eager to move on to basic training and beyond. PVT Joshu was in full agreement with his attitude and found it refreshing against so many he had heard complain incessantly about all that they were being made to conform to – usually along the lines of “I can’t stand having someone tell me what to do all the time!” And other such trivial issues.

                                                  From Adeline:

                                                  
                                                           TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

My name is PV2 (Adeline) Prince. I am 31 years old and I am from Texas.

In the year 2008 (Feb-March) my four brothers and I all joined the Army at the same time. It was a joint family decision supported wholeheartedly by my loving parents, older sister and close family friends.

Where are you from?

Growing up, I have actually lived a number of different places in the United States but Texas is where my family settled down, so I say that that is where I am from. This fact alone is not really sufficient to tell an inquirer much about me.

Why did you join?

I joined the United States Army to be of service to my country in its time of need.

Why did you decide to be an MP?

I chose the MP Corps because with their higher standard, they were looking for applicants with a clean record and since I had one, I felt it would be a waste not to become an MP. I also appreciate that at any given time, MPs will be called upon to do a wide variety of tasks, and to work longer hours than other MOSs. At 31 I came into the Army with the maturity to understand the meaning of Selfless Service. Additionally, I feel that in the MP Corps I am moving forward. Because I enjoy the training, and am constantly learning new things, I expect that I will be able to continue my education in other areas as well. 

What kind of work did you do before joining the Army?

Up to this time the Prince children were getting a very extensive education. All six of us were home- schooled and continued on together to learn a vast array of constructive trades. Together we learned by practical application, things that in traditional schools take a person individually 4 years here and 4 years there to learn.  As a family we each also learned the meaning of Respect for one another, the essentials of Teamwork, the value of protecting one’s Integrity, and maintaining high moral standards.

Because I understand that ours is a unique situation for which there is no defined category, I write these things to help answer your questions.  As a family we have never known boredom or idleness. Every day to me is to accomplish something productive. We joined the Army because it was time to put that ethical foundation and all that constructive education to a beneficial use in the service of our great country.

Do you smoke, drink etc?

I do not smoke and I do not drink. I have no desire to either. Never have-never will.

Have you ever tried drugs?

No. I have never even considered drugs and never will.

Are you dating anyone?

In an effort to get to know me better, I am often asked about my personal life such as if I have a boyfriend, do I plan to marry, etc. 

I am aware that such personal matters weigh heavily on people’s minds and that I must give an answer so as not to hurt anyone’s feelings.  My position on the matter is this: Before I joined the Army I already made a commitment. The details of that commitment are personal. I do not plan to marry or have children and just because I say that, does NOT mean that I am homosexual. As strange as this apparently is, I have other priorities in life than seeking relationships of an intimate nature. It is a personal decision about which I am not changing my mind. Period. 

By the same token since joining the Army I have had the honor of making many friends and acquaintances.  Regardless of rank or gender, out of respect for and loyalty to both my fellow soldiers and those in authority over me, my position with each of you is professional.  This applies both on and off the job - at all times.

By the term ‘professional’ I mean that I will happily be your friend because such bonds are very important to unit cohesion.

§  I will place each and every one of you before myself and never take advantage of you.

§  Should you entrust something of yours to me I will behave with it in an honorable and trustworthy manner.

§  I will always treat you with respect and be courteous. I am not critical of my fellow soldiers.

We are all members of the same Team and as an MP I care equally about my fellow American Soldiers.

§  I will be considerate of your privacy and of your responsibilities. When asked I will lend a helping hand and when asked not to, I will mind my own business.

§  To any fellow soldier, if placed in danger of any kind I will not hesitate in my duty to come to your aid nor to destroy our enemy.

§  Anything that I am in the position to do that will add to the Unit, I will go out of my way to do it.

§  I will always respect my chain of command, and support them in their jobs.

Unprofessional behavior in which I will not participate or tolerate:

§  At no time will I disrespect those in authority over me.    

§  I will never compromise the Army Values.

§  I will not participate in deliberate disregard for the standards

§  I will not participate in trying to get by with the minimum

§  There is no excuse for complaining.

§  Sexual Harassment

What do you want to do on your spare time?

In my off-time I always have something constructive that I am doing and if I have spare time, it is my desire to progress in my education. For example, I zealously pursue online Military Education, I am interested in further training in Army Combatives, and since I have made the Army my career I pursue what ever will make me a better Soldier.

Why don’t you hang out with other people more?

If I do not “hang out’, it’s nothing personal. I do not mean to be rude and I mean no offense. For those who are trying to get to know me better, the following information should be helpful. As a relatively new member of the Army Team I know that my fellow Soldiers need to know that they can depend on me to do my job. You can. Additionally, whether you feel that you know me or can understand me or not the following statements define where I, as an MP soldier stand:

I am thankful and happy to be here, and so I desire to be an additive member of the team. I will always place the mission (orders given) first, even when it is merely cleaning the latrines!

I will always put in my all, even if when it doesn’t seem to me to be enough. I will not be discouraged and nothing will keep me from giving 100% because that is what I am here for! My brothers feel the same way and they are each doing well serving God and Country.

I will assist and support my unit in every way possible. I will cheerfully perform any given task. Without constantly having to be told to, I will do what is right. In my capacity as a Enlisted Soldier, I am here to both learn and to follow orders. I take all my training seriously. All this is my “reasonable service” as a Soldier.

Additionally, I will never take deceitful advantage of those in command - who obviously care about their Soldiers and have their best interest in mind. If I am injured and it is indeed something serious, I will accept the professional help provided to me. I will bring only legitimate concerns to my Chain of Command and not take up their time with the things for which I am responsible. I will always uphold the standard and put in 100 percent at all times.

Proudly – An American Soldier

91^st MP Bn - 23^rd MP Co – 2^nd Plt

                             

A brief accounts from Basic Training:

In her reintegration after her convalescent leave (pneumonia), she and a couple of Soldiers were being transported onto post. One of the Soldiers assigned to the duty handed her a canteen to return to its owner - who had lost it a few days before. Adeline naturally was happy to assist and returned the canteen to its owner on her way to formation. Certainly an innocuous move. What she didn’t know was that the canteen was also a holder for the owner’s wallet. Later, during formation, she was called up and confronted, and we mean confronted, by a Drill Sergeant’s very demanding query, why was there money missing from the wallet in the canteen?  PV2 Adeline replied with the information that a male Soldier on the duty truck had given the canteen to her to take to the owner. Then she was demanded to give the man’s name. When she could not recall that, she was demanded to describe him. When she couldn’t do that either, the Drill Sergeant said, “There is money missing from the wallet and you say a man gave it to you but you cannot give me a name or a description, do you see what I am getting at?” (In other words he was saying, “You’re lying to me.”)  Adeline told us that it was at this point that she realized that being without guile does not suit itself to being an MP and her failure to be more observant had placed her into this untenable situation because she didn't think twice about why the recruit gave her the canteen instead of returning it himself. PV2 Adeline’s response was, “Yes, Drill Sergeant, I understand I should be more observant in the future.”

The Drill Sergeant’s reaction was, “Are you sh**ing me!?”

PV2 Adeline replied, “No, Drill Sergeant I am not B.S.ing you. This is the truth.”

The Drill Sergeant then asked the entire company, “Is there anyone here who gave Private Prince a 2 qt canteen with a wallet inside?”

No one responded so the D.S. then said, “Let me rephrase this, who gave Private Prince a canteen from the duty truck?”

It was clear by then to the D.S. a seasoned MP himself, that Adeline had spoken the truth and there was no cause for doubt to be thrown upon her statements or character.

 

 

                                                One of Adeline's letters to her Family?

All of the 91st MP Bn were having a Battalion run on Friday morning and everyone was edgy about not it. I got a good spot for myself and stood waiting in formation. It was cold but not unduly so. Only after an hour waiting did I finally begin to shiver. People all around me were complaining or voicing their apprehension. Having learned that worrying is actually detrimental, I had already put those cares upon my Lord back when I first heard about the Battalion run. As I stood there wordlessly waiting at parade rest, a BB of mine turned to me and commented at the fact that I was so calm - in contrast to my peers. He couldn't believe it. Also 23rd Co's First Sergeant Watts (many do not like him but I think he is a good 1SG) asked me "Are you going to fall out?" and I said, No First Sergeant! and meant every word. A number of our females have trouble with the runs so that's why he asked me. What no one knows is that I can still count on my fingers the number of times that I have in my whole life run 3 and 4 miles and each time is better that the last! As it turned out, only at the end I couldn't maintain the uphill rate and dropped back for about the last 1/8th of the way. I caught up and was back in formation by the time we all stopped. I am aware that such things as not being an athlete at PT does not help my image as a female - but so what! I really could care less what man thinks because he is not in control of my destiny. As a result I was right in not worrying about the run. In the Lord, I did my best, gave my all and was not at all penalized or singled out for having to slow my pace at the end. The point is that I know the Lord's determination in this vessel. We have a 20K ruck-march this Thursday. I am no fool about the challenge that it can be. However, I put my cares upon my Lord and it too will be conquered without the derision of man. Even more importantly, we have a PT test coming up next Tuesday the 18th and because of my back pain, the enemy's threat is that I will end up with a lower PT score than when I graduated, which will look bad for me on paper! So what do I do about this concern? Answer: put it before You Father and be at peace about it - there is nothing that I can do about it and it would be a grave mistake for me not to trust You Lord about it. You have always proven yourself that it will be alright and so it has always been alright.

 

The truth is that while the Army standards are relatively high, the Lord's standards in this vessel are much much higher than the Army! It is on this point that I have no qualms about doing the right things when no one around me is. Here at the barracks I am constantly keeping after the trash removal and on this 4day weekend I was shown by the Lord that the best thing for me to do in the situation with my team leader and sponsor (Spc Blakely) was to ask to borrow his car and go take it to a place I could vacuum it. He is your typical messy person, and the inside probably hasn't been cleaned since it was new. As unto the Lord, I devoted a reasonable about of time to its interior cleanup and treated the glass for the winter. My doing this has caught him off guard but it helps my situation and has given me the advantage for our association to remain professional. I'm sure you know what I mean by Professional. All attempts outside professionalism and common courtesy, both by my roommate and by this person have been met with an unyielding wall on my part. I am nice about it and no less a member of the team, but it's just that I'm not changing my mind. Period. We all have our battlegrounds. I am not at all surprised that this is one of mine.

 

I like my Squad Leader, Sgt Jannotti because he is a professional NCO. He is an older generation, married and with children. My Platoon Sgt (Sgt Lewis) is an interesting person, and also professional in his responsibilities. I have no complaints with my situation. Outside my platoon I have made some interesting acquaintances. I typed up a Cleaning Supplies sign-out sheet and got it printed out as a favor. It's for the company cleaning supply closet so that all items are returned when used. It was such a basic typing job for me compared to what I can do, so I had fun.

 

Since it is always in the little things that you can judge a person by, I have an occasional opportunity here and there to be free of the do-the-minimum attitude of all those around me. Clean-up time is one example and various Sergeants comment on my willingness. While I am very new to the mechanics of Soldiering in this Army and need further training, I have no doubt that in the Lord I make a very good MP because of the Lord's attitude in this vessel and that I understand the true meaning of Selfless Service, Personal Courage, Integrity, Loyalty etc more than anyone else here (including many of my fellow Soldiers who have been in the Army for awhile). I owe this understanding to my relationship with the Living Son of God. Without the Lord and the endless vitality of always having hope in Him, men are truly miserable creatures with no purpose to their empty lives. No new news to you all I know!

 

As a note there are so many things we have learned to do - thanks to the Lord's Education - that people can't even fathom. On the other hand since basketball and football are athletic games of which I know nothing, I have taken every opportunity to learn. I am aware that in the eyes of my platoon they will judge me by their idea of what adds to the team - however I will not let that keep me from trying to learn a new thing that is to my benefit, nor will I let that keep me from enjoying myself. On Halloween I had a fellow private ask me why I joined the Army and not accept my truthful answer. This person seriously misjudged my personality but are having to eat their words with every passing day! I am very happy with the way I was raised by the Lord and the beauty of it is that (unlike those around me) my journey in You Lord has but just begun and I will continue to move ahead in life.

 

Fred, Joshu, George, Andrew and each one of you are in my prayers. I put this before the Living God: "Grant us Lord God the freedom we each need from man's hypocritical nature - freedom to walk in the uprightness of our Lord - freedom to to add to our country what you sent each of us here to do. Amen."     

 

With much love and affection to my family,

Adeline