First sergeant pedals for 'Triple Deuce'

Photo By Capt. Michael Wallace | 1st Sgt. Connie Brannock rides around Camp Virginia on a bicycle, her usual mode of transportation.  

01.24.2007

Story by Capt. Michael Wallace 

377th Theater Sustainment Command

By Capt. Mike Wallace
377th Theater Support Command PAO (Forward)

KUWAIT — It's a demanding job being an Army first sergeant, with all the work associated in supervising Soldiers. The job includes ensuring Soldiers are well-trained and cared for – mothering – in a way.

It is a challenge for just about anyone, but for 1st Sgt. Connie Brannock of 222nd Transportation Company, stationed at Camp Virginia, Kuwait, this life is as rewarding as anything she has experienced in the past.

"I'm old enough to be most of the Soldiers' mom in this unit," Brannock said, admitting that it's tough to keep her maternal instincts in check. "A lot of my Soldiers view me as their substitute 'mom,' but I have to be fair and keep my discipline and control of the unit to the highest level."

Brannock, who is easily identified by her trademark bicycle she uses to transport herself from one area of the company to the other — checking on issues that pop up daily for a first sergeant. Her high energy and enthusiasm is usually associated with a younger person.

She joined the Arizona National Guard in 1990, one week before she turned 35, leaving behind a life of a recording artist where she had a recording contract with MCA records. She entered a world where she was the oldest person in her basic training class and in many of her subsequent military classes. But this never slowed her down, she said. The bicycle enthusiast didn't mind a different life, one that had changed from moving around sound amplifiers while wearing high heels to running a course in combat boots.

"I would rather travel on two wheels than anything else," she said, noting that she has successfully combined her two loves — being the first sergeant and pedaling on two wheels.

Before her second deployment to Southwest Asia, Brannock commuted to work almost every day in a seven-mile round trip on her preferred single speed bicycle. She has even competed in six triathlons and a biathlon, where she finished with very respectful times using her 'full-throttle waddle.'

"I've been blessed with good health and have always been active, even before I joined the Arizona National Guard," Brannock said.

Staying physically fit is one of the top priorities for herself and her Soldiers, she said. She has never scored below 262 on her physical fitness test (her all-time high was 372) and credits her love of biking to her good health. Soldiers have to stay fit, to stay physically and mentally prepared for their tasks, she said.

She acknowledges there have been many changes in the military since she joined—except for one thing.

"You have to treat everyone with respect," she said. "Never disregard their basic humanity and they will try harder for you. They will strive to perfect themselves when they see that you really do care about them and the unit."

• Date Taken: 01.24.2007
• Date Posted: 01.24.2007 09:30
• Story ID: 8916