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GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba – Building a program from the ground up takes dedication to duty, selfless-service and the leadership skills of a professional. For Army Staff Sgt. Steven Barthmaier, the challenge wasn't knowing what to do, it was coordinating necessary resources to set the wheels in motion.
Barthmaier served as the senior human resources non-commissioned officer for the 193rd Military Police Company. However, during his tour, the need for help in the training and operations section became apparent, and he was selected to support the mission.
"I helped out operations while I continued to oversee the administrative portion," said Barthmaier.
Barthmaier's duties spanned from organizing Soldier re-enlistments, to coordinating weapons ranges and building the un-armed combatives program while overseeing it and teaching Troopers the basics of the program.
"I faced some challenges. Networking was tough. I had to go through a lot of areas to resource things like ranges or re-enlistments. For ranges, you're not just dealing with Joint Task Force [personnel], you're dealing with [U.S.] Naval Station Guantanamo [Bay, too] so there are a lot of different agencies that you have to go through just to get a range together and ensure it complies with everyone's standard," said Barthmaier.
"I overcame those challenges by networking within those agencies and getting key points of contact," he continued.
Prior to Barthmaier's assignment here, he was a drill sergeant. While attending the drill sergeant school, he was required to go through level one combatives. After the school, he was selected to attend levels two and three, which qualified him to teach level one combatives.
Upon his assignment to Guantanamo Bay, Barthmaier was one of two Soldiers trained in level three combatives on the island.
"[Combatives] began when [Joint Detention Group] Command Sgt. Maj. [Theodore] Trahan told me he wanted the program because he saw how the end result instilled the Warrior Ethos in Troopers," said Barthmaier. "He saw it was a really good program so with the guidelines he brought from Ft. Bragg he laid the foundation for it."
For Army Soldiers, the Warrior Ethos is a set of principles that challenges every Soldier to rise to their greatest potential both professionally and personally.
"I had the flexibility in my schedule that I could take one week per month to run the program," Barthmaier said. "[But] building the program from scratch [was] difficult in itself. Laying the foundation and [allocating] the [resources] that you have readily available in the states, but not here, was tough," Barthmaier continued.
"I really want to say thank you to everyone who helped me out along the way. The 525th Military Police Battalion and the 193rd Military Police Company were very supportive of the combatives program, and allowed me to run things they way I wanted on both the admin side, and training," said Barthmaier.
With a stong inner drive and dedication to duty, Barthmaier built a successful program, not just for Soldiers, but for any Trooper stationed here.
"I've put about 120 troopers through the program," said Barthmaier. "It didn't matter which branch of service they were from, it was good training for everyone."
Barthmaier understands the concept of motivating Troopers from his own experience as a drill sergeant.
"The hours, hardship and time away from family was very difficult, but my duty as a drill sergeant was life changing," said Barthmaier.
"Looking at the big picture, you can make an impact on thousands of people's lives by affecting just one. Making a difference for one person can have an impact on [countless] others. That's pretty awe inspiring," he said.
Barthmaier recently left Guantanamo to pursue his next duty station with the Old Guard at Ft. Myer, Va.
"I'll work with the battalion admin section, though I would love to serve as a guard for the Tomb of the Unknown. It is such a prestigious honor, guarding those who have given their life in the line of duty. I feel humbled to be joining such a unit of distinction. I don't think of myself as [deserving] of it."
| Date Taken: | 07.18.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 07.21.2008 11:49 |
| Story ID: | 21696 |
| Location: | GUANTANAMO BAY, CU |
| Web Views: | 74 |
| Downloads: | 57 |
This work, Dedication to Duty, by Emily McCamy, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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