A Mahoning Valley native says he learned to be resilient through his military experience.

Harold Frey Jr. of Tamaqua is a U.S. Army veteran who served from August 1991 to September 2011.

A 1989 graduate of Lehighton Area High School, Frey grew up in the Mahoning Valley.

He served 18 months in Iraq and 12 months in Afghanistan.

Frey got married in 1989, had a son in 1990, and a daughter in 1991, who was born just a few weeks before he left for basic training.

He started out as a private, and worked his way up to Troop 1st Sgt. for A Troop 3rd Squadron 17th Cavalry Regiment.

His father, Harold Frey Sr. served in the U.S. Army Aviation Branch, including serving in Vietnam.

“That was one of the reason why I did it,” Frey Jr. said. “My dad was in the aviation side; that’s what I went into.”

Frey said leaving his comfortable haven to serve our country was quite the experience.

“It was a shock; I really wasn’t out of the area prior to that,” he said. “It was sort of being pushed together from people all over with different ethnicities, people from different cities and all over the country.”

Frey said he was a scout observation helicopter mechanic.

“It was kind of overwhelming,” he said. “My career path kind of leapfrogged along.”

Frey said much changed after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on our country.

“Prior to 9/11, I was already in for 10 years,” he said, adding that the way they began to do things after the attacks changed. “Before, we trained where we would do field exercises; after 9/11, that changed around quite a bit.”

Frey said one of the things he’s most proud of in serving our country is his longevity.

“There really aren’t a whole lot of people that I knew that were actually in for a lot of years (before 9/11),” he said. “After that (9/11 attacks) happened, there was an influx of kids that came in and it really picked up.”

After 20 years of service, Frey said one day he sat down with his wife, Debbie Frey, to discuss his future.

“I sat down and talked to my wife and said, ‘I’ve got time in, do I really want to press my luck?’ I ended on a high note; do I really want to take my chances?”

Having been stationed in South Korea, Alabama, North Carolina, Hawaii, Tennessee/Kentucky, New York and Georgia, Frey said he’s pretty much seen and done it all.

“I miss the people,” he said. “One thing that didn’t change was the people; they understood it.”

Frey said the opportunity is definitely there for those interested in serving our country.

“I wouldn’t turn anyone away from it,” he said, adding that it might be for someone struggling with what they want to do. “I would do it again.”

Frey, whose daughter, Katie Forgey, served in the Air Force, shared one of the most important lessons he learned.

“Don’t sweat the small stuff,” he said. “I definitely became a more resilient person.”

Frey said that’s a quality that’s vital to possess in today’s ever-changing world.

“Growing up in this area, you’ve got to be resilient,” he said. “Things change; you’ve got to adapt.”

Currently, Frey works as a circulation assistant for Times News Media Group.