Photo By Sgt. Trenton Fouche | Capt. Michelle Lopez, commander of United States Army Recruiting Company – Lancaster...... read more read more
COLUMBUS – The room was filled with supporters. Family members and fellow Soldiers watched as the husband and wife took command of their respective companies. The couple met eight years ago during a field exercise, both eager to one day become leaders. Now, they were both commanders. The Army brought them together, now it is giving them an opportunity to follow their dreams.
The Columbus Recruiting Battalion welcomed new company commanders on Friday Aug. 13, 2021 in a joint assumption of command ceremony located here at the station. Capt. Michelle Lopez took command of United States Army Recruiting Company – Lancaster and her husband, Capt. Leonard Genders, took over at United States Army Recruiting Company - Barboursville.
“It’s unique that both companies are having their ceremonies on the same day, but even more unique that it’s a husband and wife taking command of those companies,” said Lt. Col. Brett Gambacorta, Commander of the Columbus Recruiting Battalion in Whitehall, Ohio. “It’s pretty rare for a husband and wife to serve in the same battalion and be commissioned officers, that population is much smaller.”
Lopez and Genders both graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York as quartermaster officers and would go on to find success.
Lopez was first assigned as a distribution platoon leader in Fox Forward Support Company, 3rd Battalion, 6th Field Artillery Regiment, 1st Infantry Combat Brigade (IBCT) at Fort Drum, NY. She then served as the maintenance control officer and company executive officer in 3-6 FAR at Fort Drum, NY. Her next leadership assignments were battalion maintenance officer for Bravo Company, 10th Brigade Support Battalion, 1st IBCT and executive officer for 1-10 Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, 10th Combat Aviation Brigade at Fort Drum, NY.
With a wealth of experience leading Soldiers, Lopez was cheerful and optimistic about her new role within the Battalion.
“One of the things that I’m looking forward to the most is taking the company to the next level,” she said. “I feel that we have a lot of talent and we need to recruit great people into the Army.”
Genders also expressed optimism regarding his new role. After first being assigned as the supply platoon leader in A Company, 277th Aviation Support Battalion, 10th Combat Aviation Brigade at Fort Drum, NY. He would then serve as the executive officer in A Company, 277th Aviation Support Battalion. Genders would also take on the role as the support operations fuel and ammunition officer for 10th Combat Aviation Brigade, before deploying to Afghanistan in support of Operation Freedom Sentinel and Resolute Support with Task Force Falcon as the fuel and ammunition officer.
“As the commander, I’m responsible for funding events and coordinating with the local community to make the job for the recruiters easier and to get to know the communities,” said Genders. “In the Army you get a team that really cares for you and that will be there around the clock. I’m excited to be here and to really get after it.”
Army recruiting is no easy task, recruiters and their leaders must work to find future Soldiers to one day plan and carry-out missions. In order to succeed, it’s important to have a desire to be successful. It’s common for recruits to sometimes be hesitant to take on such a huge responsibility. The recruiters and their leaders can provide mentorship and advice for future Soldiers who express uncertainty.
“For future Soldiers that may be on the fence about joining the Army or aspire to be more than what they currently are, I say that the opportunities are endless,” said Gambacorta. “There are no set paths in the Army and the opportunities, challenges and growth that happens in the Army can’t be found anywhere else.”
“I enlisted when I was 17 and it was one of the best decisions that I ever made,” said Lopez. “I’ve gotten to travel the country and interact with people that I never thought I would.”
Being a couple in the military comes with its fair share of challenges, but for Genders the challenges are made easier by the Army.
“With everything that we’ve been through, It’s really nice to know that the Army places us together as much as they can and we’ve been able to work together for the majority of our assignments,” said Genders.
Being a leader in the U.S Army will test your mental and physical endurance. If you think that you have what it takes, visit goarmy.com to learn more.
| Date Taken: | 08.13.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 08.19.2021 19:18 |
| Story ID: | 403569 |
| Location: | COLUMBUS, OH, US |
| Web Views: | 1,233 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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