At 46, reservist is headed to Iraq

Practitioners of Chinese feng shui believe the tiny green shoots sold in The Bamboo Lady store can improve people’s fortunes.

Store owner Terri Fowler could use some good luck herself.

The 46-year-old is among a dozen local reservists who are preparing to be deployed to Iraq. They are based out of the Richard H. Walker U.S. Army Reserve Center on Sullivan Road and include teachers, firefighters, police and other everyday folks.

“I’ve taken the Army’s money for 27 years. This is what I’m supposed to do,” said Fowler, who had the opportunity to retire but chose to honor a longtime commitment to her country and fellow citizen-soldiers.

Next week, Fowler, a battalion supply sergeant 1st class serving with the 104th Division (institutional training), will head to an undisclosed location in California for 17 days of training. Fowler’s unit consists of drill sergeants who teach basic training.

Upon completion, she’ll return to Spokane and start marking down her assortment of beads, antiques, pottery and plants in preparation for closing her store at 2207 N. Hamilton in December. She also will hang up her crossing guard vest at Logan Elementary School, where she works a few hours a week.

Come January, after celebrating her 20th wedding anniversary, the reservist-mom will say goodbye to her husband, Ron Fowler, and their teenage daughter, Jessica After an additional 90 days’ training, she’ll leave for an 18-month mission in Iraq.

The transition from reservist to soldier began when Fowler attended a short training camp in California recently. There, The Bamboo Lady owner lugged around 35 pounds of equipment as she trekked up and down hills in the 85-degree heat. She came home 10 pounds lighter, with boots full of blisters.

A good friend responded to news of Fowler’s deployment by saying, “What are they doing sending grandmothers?” Fowler reminded her pal that she’s technically a grandmother only through marriage.

Age can be an advantage in the military, where the stress of long deployments can break up younger couples and create a host of other issues, she said, adding, “It’s easier for you to deal with because you have more experience.”

Although the reservist has never seen conflict, she fully understands the realities of war, but talks about the risks with little emotion. However, Fowler smiles and speaks with affection when talking about friendships with her fellow reservists, many mere kids in her eyes.

“I’ve been in the Army longer than some of my soldiers have been alive.”

Talking with Fowler is a lesson in the power of positive thinking. Although her husband lost his job as a chemical dependency counselor last week, and the family is temporarily without medical insurance, she remains upbeat.

When the natural tendency to worry creeps in, she battles negativity and tells herself that God will take care of things – like the few times when she was hard-pressed to pay a month’s rent for the shop and a customer suddenly arrived with a big order.

Her biggest concern is that she may not be able to get leave to return to Spokane in May for her daughter’s graduation from Lewis and Clark High School.

“My brain thinks about all the things it takes to do whatever,” Fowler explained. “But right now I’m trying not to think about those things. I have to be positive.”

While working around the house, she listens to an MP3 player with a tutorial on speaking Arabic and wonders how an outspoken female leader will fit into Iraq’s culture – a culture where women seemingly serve submissive roles and are covered from head to toe when appearing in public.

“It will be interesting to see how it all plays out,” Fowler said.

Like any good soldier, she declines to speculate about the politics of war. Service is not about agreeing or disagreeing with policy, Fowler explained, it’s about honoring a commitment.

“As a citizen I have a right to an opinion,” she said, but “as a soldier you have a job to do and you have to stay positive and you have to stay focused.”

Although she professes to have no great love for retail, Fowler got into the bamboo trade after visiting a market in Myrtle Beach, S.C. She asked a vendor for the name of her supplier and was soon selling her own bamboo at local craft shows. Customers gravitated toward the lucky plants and, four years ago, The Bamboo Lady shop was born.

The store, a few blocks from her home and a short distance from where her parents live, also includes antiques from the estate sales she works with her mother.

While it’s doubtful that The Bamboo Lady will reopen after her tour of duty, the soldier is exploring options.

“When I come back, I’ll re-evaluate my life and re-evaluate what I want to do.”