Provo City Councilwoman, BYU ROTC alumni deploys to Kuwait

A member of Provo’s Municipal Council will soon expand her role from serving the city to serving her country.

Laura Cabanilla, a lieutenant colonel in the United States Army Reserves, announced Monday she will be deployed to Kuwait in August. It will be her first deployment.

“I’m really excited for this opportunity to serve my country,” she said.

Cabanilla’s whole career has prepared her for this experience. She began her involvement with the military in 1981 as a private in basic training in South Carolina. She then went through the ROTC program as a cadet at BYU, and has continued training for her military career through different courses and monthly drills.

Cabanilla has not been deployed up to this point because her entire unit is comprised solely of lieutenant colonels who instruct a course called Command and General Staff College. 

Normally, entire units will be activated at once, but members from her unit are selectively picked because the army needs their expertise in a specialized area.

She said the deployment came as a surprise, because she had recently started the paperwork to retire, but the papers had not gone very far yet. Typically those involved with the military need only work for 20 years before becoming eligible to retire.

“I decided I was too busy with all my different obligations. I have a full-time law practice and I’ve been very busy with the city council,” Cabanilla said.

Provo’s city council does not currently have any provisions to specifically address what will happen if a member receives an order to deploy. The state legislature has been asked to look into this issue, but it won’t be in session until January. 

“I’m sure I’m not the only sort of elected official that has been called into active duty,” Cabanilla said. 

She reports to training camp for a few weeks on July 6 and will leave Aug. 7 for Kuwait. She will be in Kuwait for one year working with LOGCAP, a group that coordinates logistic support for the army.  

Provo Mayor John Curtis said he hopes Cabanilla will come back and serve on the council. In a city council meeting Tuesday, he said he would like to have a farewell party for Cabanilla to recognize the support the community has for members of the military.

Cabanilla comes from a line of military tradition in her family. Her father was in the army, she has a brother in Afghanistan with Special Forces, a sister working as a doctor on active duty and another brother who will soon go on the active duty list with the Judge Advocate Generals Corps. Her daughter recently graduated from basic training.

“We have a feeling of an obligation of service to our country,” she said.

This article was originally published in the Daily Universe on June 2, 2010.