Photo By Rick Emert | Col. Dan Shanahan, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, commander, right,...... read more read more
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By Sgt. 1st Class Rick Emert
1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs
CAMP TAJI, Iraq – For just one day, a 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, lieutenant hung up her hat as a company executive officer and tried the hat of brigade commander on for size.
Although she didn't get the chance to lead the brigade in a major operation or change any brigade policies, 1st Lt. Michelle Geffert, executive officer for Company F, 615th Aviation Support Battalion, did get a glimpse into what her brigade commander's days look like.
"As a lieutenant, I don't get a lot of insight into what the brigade commander actually does, so, for me, it was all new," said Geffert, a native of Estacada, Ore. "I had an idea that he goes from meeting to meeting to meeting, but you actually see him interacting with the people and his role as a leader of Soldiers – as a leader for the officers to give them valuable guidance as well as acting as a positive face for our brigade to the outside world."
Geffert seemed to take her day as brigade commander seriously, said Col. Dan Shanahan, the 1st Air Cavalry "Warrior" Brigade commander, a native of Traverse City, Mich.
"The goal for this is recognition by their peers that they're doing well and also a chance for them to shine in front of the battalion staff and brigade staff," Shanahan said. "(1st Lt.) Michelle Geffert this time did a great job. She spent some time finding out about it. She studied hard. She interacted very well with the battalion commanders, asking them some tough questions. I think she surprised a couple of folks, and that's what it's all about."
Geffert was the second lieutenant to act as brigade commander for a day, following then 1st Lt. Rob Massey, 3rd Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st ACB.
"This is our second iteration of brigade commander for a day; Rob Massey did a great job." Shanahan said of Massey, who is now a captain. "What he brought back to his unit was a perspective of some of the challenges that we have here at the brigade headquarters – very different from what he had experienced as a platoon leader. It really broadened his vision.
"That's the same thing with (1st Lt.) Michelle Geffert, (this gave) her a little bit different perspective and something that she can take back to her peers, something she can take back to her Soldiers – in fact to her leaders – and share her experience and make their organization a little bit better. I think that's one of my goals in this is to share that perspective."
The experience opened her eyes not only to what the brigade commander does, but to what she herself contributes to the brigade's mission in Iraq.
"I think it was a very valuable experience," Geffert said. "We kind of have a myopic view when you are a lieutenant in a company. That's really all you see, as opposed to when you go up to the brigade level. You realize you have a much bigger part in the war effort. It gives me a better perspective, I think, of what we're doing and the mission we're accomplishing."
Shanahan said he hoped that the day gave a glimpse into what her future would look like should Geffert decide to make the Army a career.
"The brigade commander for a day program is a good example for our young officers to see what the future holds for them," Shanahan said. "These are some tremendous men and women that are in this brigade and (the program gives them) the opportunity to spend some time shadowing me and finding out what it is to be a brigade commander."
Although he didn't know whether Geffert planned to stay in the Army long enough to be a brigade commander, he said the experience and her time in the Army would still be beneficial.
"I didn't put her on the spot to ask her what her goals were," Shanahan said. "I think one thing the Army does is it creates leaders for America. If she chooses the Army to be her profession and stays for 20 or 30 years as I have, that's great. If she's here for five or 10 years and can learn and bring back to America the things that she learned in the Army, that's a great goal. That's something that our Army does very very well, is build leaders for America.
"We've got a great Army. We always have; we always will, because of the young leaders that are coming up. This is another great example of a future leader that we have in our Army."
| Date Taken: | 07.29.2007 |
| Date Posted: | 07.30.2007 17:16 |
| Story ID: | 11523 |
| Location: | TAJI, IQ |
| Web Views: | 426 |
| Downloads: | 405 |
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