Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Joseph Stone | Col. Todd Heussner, commander, 43rd Sustainment Brigade, administers the "Oath of...... read more read more
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan – The command, “raise your right hand and repeat after me,” was given while Marines, sailors, airmen and soldiers watched 23 members of 43rd Sustainment Brigade stand in formation to re-enlist in the Army Oct. 2.
Col. Todd Heussner, commander 43rd SB, U.S. Central Command Materiel Recovery Element, administered the oath of enlistment to the group in front of the “Make it Happen” sign on the brigade’s compound. Before the oath, Heussner gave an introduction.
“I have done quite a few, but it’s always an honor when someone comes and says, ‘Hey I’d like you to do this,’ because it’s such a monumental decision,” said Heussner.
The ceremony was organized by Sgt. 1st Class Stephen Cabana, senior career counselor, 43rd SB.
“The book says, ‘Reenlist, on a long term basis, sufficient numbers of highly qualified Active Army soldiers,’ I call it taking care of soldiers,” said Cabana.
There was a total of 82 years of service added, more than $41,000 of reenlistment bonuses earned and five noncommissioned officers contracted into indefinite status, according to Cabana.
The whole ceremony took about 10 minutes with nearly 45 minutes of pictures afterwards.
One of the reenlisting soldiers had a relative in attendance. Spc. Kelun Babauta, a native of Kagman 3, Saipan, Mariana Islands, had her aunt, Warrant Officer Maylynn Babauta, who is also serving on Kandahar Airfield, attend and even pose for a picture with her niece.
Babauta wants to stay at Fort Carson and was able to stipulate that in her re-enlistment contract.
“Even though I hate the cold, Fort Carson is very nice,” she said. “I also want to attend the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs.”
Babauta plans to apply for the Army’s “Green to Gold” program and pursue a dual master’s degree in public administration and criminal justice. She has a bachelor’s degree in computer graphics and multimedia from Bangkok University International College.
A deployment can be a positive thing, according to Babauta
“It’s my first deployment, my first re-enlistment; I’ve done so much being out here. I competed in the soldier of the month board and won,” said Babauta. “I attended the promotion board and got my (promotable status). I wanted it to be a big bang out here.”
Her attitude is not an isolated case, according to Heussner.
“They’re proud of themselves. They like their teammates, and they know what they do is important,” Heussner said. “To me, that’s the best gauge of morale of the unit. If people want to stay… then that means that as a leader, as an organization, we’re doing the right thing. We’re taking care of people. Ultimately, that is a measure of success for me.”
Command Sgt. Maj. Anthony Traylor, senior enlisted adviser, 43rd SB, appreciates the chance to have a mass re-enlistment ceremony.
“Any time that we get an opportunity to retain good quality soldiers in the United States Army, particularly a large group, that’s a great day for the Army, our organization and for those individuals,” said Traylor.
| Date Taken: | 10.07.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 10.14.2013 11:19 |
| Story ID: | 115125 |
| Location: | KANDAHAR, AF |
| Web Views: | 129 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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