Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Charlotte Reavis | U.S. Army Sgt. Daniel Ryan, with the 365th Engineer Battalion, turns in his night land...... read more read more
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FORT MCCOY, Wis. - As an Army Reserve noncommissioned officer, leading by example and training soldiers to operate as a team is one reason why the NCO is called the “Backbone of the Army,” according to the Army Values.
“This competition is a great learning experience throughout the entire process,” said Sgt. Daniel Ryan, member of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 335th Engineer Battalion located in Schuylkill Haven, Pa.
“But it doesn’t matter how successful I am here, it only matters if I can turn it around and train my soldiers with what I learn. What you can give back to your troops is one way of leading by example. That’s really what I care about,” he said.
Caring about soldiers, leading and training merge well with many occupations outside the Army. A passion for teaching and helping others go hand-in-hand with the real love of his life, Hannah, his daughter.
“Our first child is an 18-month-old girl and I had no idea she would grow so quickly,” said Ryan. “It’s been an amazing experience and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I only hope that what I do and learn here will help me, in someway, be a better father and teach her to be a great lady someday.”
Supporting a family with a civilian job while serving as a warrior citizen in the Army Reserve can be challenging for some. What makes it easy for Ryan is that he found the right establishment that fully supports his efforts and allows him to use the leadership knowledge he has gained to support his company.
“I could not ask for a better organization to work for when it comes to them supporting my military requirements,” said Ryan. “I work for the ‘Center for Discovery’ in Harris, N.Y., which is a residential and educational program for kids and adults with developmental disabilities. They are very considerate and work very well with me.”
Taking a step back and spending time with family is very important in today’s Army. Following a passion of learning about the past can have many rewards when traveling to discover a different perception of how things may have been in the past.
“I’m a big fan of American history and I love Civil War history,” said Ryan. “My wife and I took a trip recently to the Gettysburg Battle Field and I continue to be amazed and have a profound respect for the generations of Soldiers that came before me. It gives you a bigger perspective of how different it was then versus now.”
Besides teaching kids and adults with learning disabilities, and training his baby daughter to be a lady, Ryan continues to follow his goals of sharing his knowledge with anyone that he can. He continues to learn from his military experiences and takes that information back to his soldiers.
“The way I look at it, these soldiers at this competition are at the top of the class,” said Ryan. “When you meet new and interesting people as motivated as you are, it’s just a great experience. I consider it an honor to be among them and want to help my soldiers learn from it.“
| Date Taken: | 06.26.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 06.26.2013 18:13 |
| Story ID: | 109311 |
| Location: | FORT MCCOY, WI, US |
| Hometown: | SCHUYLKILL HAVEN, PA, US |
| Hometown: | WOODRIDGE, NY, US |
| Web Views: | 136 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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