Former DS deploys to Iraq with previous trainee by her side

Photo By Spc. Ryan Stroud | Chief Warrant Officer Trudy Nadine Lee Green jokes around with one of her Soldiers, Spc. Mireya Alvarez Tifre, both of Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, while on a break from work. Before Green became a warrant officer, she was a drill sergeant at Fort Jackson, S.C., and Tifre was one of her trainees.  

BAQUBAH, IRAQ

05.21.2007

Story by Spc. Ryan Stroud 

3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division

By Spc. Ryan Stroud
3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs

BAQUBAH, Iraq - When Chief Warrant Officer Trudy Nadine Lee Green completed her time as a drill sergeant at Fort Jackson, S.C., she never thought one of her Soldiers would later work for her and accompany her during a deployment to Iraq.

Now, in the midst of a fierce battle in Diyala province, Iraq, Green said she finds herself not only continuing her duties as a Soldier, but still applying the tasks of war she taught as a drill sergeant to one of her former trainees and now, fellow coworker.

A few years back, Green, the Chief of Brigade Human Resources for the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, was on her way to warrant officer school when she was selected to become a drill sergeant. At the time, she had no idea how much she would later effect another Soldier's life.

"Becoming a drill sergeant was not my choice, I was (Department of the Army) selected," said Green. "However, it's an experience I would not change for anything."

Though not the plans she had in mind, Green said she knew she now had a huge responsibility to teach and lead Soldiers for their possible future deployments to Iraq. She decided she would conduct her duty and not let these Soldiers down.

"As a drill sergeant, my main duty was to prepare a Soldier for combat by teaching them all the skills they will need to survive and evade capture," said Green.

"You can teach them the necessary skills needed to be successful in combat," she continued. "You hope that once they are in the fight, the tactical skills you have thought them will help them to accomplish their mission."

Teaching everything from basic rifle maintenance to radio communication, Green said she wanted to make sure all Soldiers were ready for whatever faced them in the future.

"I tried to push all the basic skills needed for a Soldier to fight and survive in combat," Green said.
While some drill sergeants wonder if they've ever made a difference in the lives of their Soldiers in Iraq, Green said she has first-hand knowledge of the differences she has made.

Spc. Mireya Alvarez Tifre was in Green's platoon while she went through basic combat training. After being stationed at Fort Hood, Texas, Tifre, a member of Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 3rd BCT, and a native of Brooklyn, N.Y., realized she would be working with one of her mentors and former drill sergeant, Green.

"When I learned I was going to be working with Chief Green, I thought, 'Wow, what a small world,'" said Tifre. "Two or three years ago I was in basic with her and now here I am getting to work with her. It was a surprise."

Tifre said the experience has been a special one for her. From garrison to theater, Tifre has looked up to Green as an experienced leader whom she can always learn something from.

"She was a great drill sergeant because she was always pushing us to do better," said Tifre. "She was always making sure we were learning what she was teaching. Some things we learned in basic were fast, so she always took the time to make sure we had what we needed to know and understand everything.

"Working for her now...I love working for her," she continued. "She's still pushing me to go further, to make sure I do everything right and the way everything is supposed to be. She challenges me to better myself."

Though Green said she loves working with a former trainee, she knows it is no longer her job to strictly teach and guide Tifre.

"I find myself wanting to continue mentoring her because she is my Soldier," said Green. "All my Soldiers, I want them to be successful in everything that they do. So I will mentor them in anyway I can to ensure they are set up for success - always.

"I've found myself advising them on keeping their proficiency on some of the skills that I taught as a drill sergeant," Green continued. "However, I ensure that my NCOs teach them those skills.

Though Green is no longer an NCO or drill sergeant, Tifre said she feels Green still carries many of the values learned as an NCO and drill sergeant.

"To me, she still carries the persona as a drill sergeant because she always pushes her Soldiers to do the right thing and go above what we can do," Tifre said. "To me, she's just the same, if not better.

"Going through basic was a really neat experience for me," she continued. "It was hard at times, but it was also fun. I liked that you had to push yourself to try to be better.

"I think Chief Green was an excellent drill sergeant because she really did care about everyone," she said. "She also had a personal touch with each of her Soldiers. She really cared, and that's what made her great.

"She still instills knowledge everyday, the same way she did as a drill sergeant," said Tifre.

"I really enjoyed my experience as a drill sergeant," said Green. "It changed the way I looked at Soldiers. It helped me to understand them better.

"Seeing their transformation from civilian to Soldier makes my heart soar every time I think about it," she continued. "I remember when they arrived and literally didn't know how to put their left foot in front of their right. And to see them on graduation day – standing tall – made me feel like a proud parent."

That proud parent feeling comes back from time-to-time working with Tifre, said Green.

"I am very proud of what she has become, and what she does everyday; because in some small way, I would like to think I helped her to be where she is," said Green.

"If you ask some former drill sergeants, they would tell you that being a drill sergeant was a thankless job," she continued. "In some cases it felt that way.

"My 'thank you' was seeing a Soldier graduate basic training and go on to do great things for the Army," Green said. "Working with a former trainee makes the experience I had as drill sergeant worth the experience."

"I wouldn't change anything. I love working with Chief Green," said Tifre. "It's been a learning experience ever since I joined the Army.

"She taught me how to be a Soldier and now I get to be one with her," she continued. "I have learned a lot from her in basic, and now I get to apply those things I learned while working with her."

• Date Taken: 05.21.2007
• Date Posted: 05.21.2007 11:16
• Story ID: 10466
• Location: BAQUBAH, IQ