Photo By 1st Lt. Antonia Elena Pearse | Army 1st Lt. Ian Sparks, 365th Engineer Battalion Unit Movement Officer, re-enlists...... read more read more
By U.S Army Spc. Cole Simchick
365th Engineer Battalion
BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan - When a cadet in the United States Army earns their commission, they immediately look forward to the moment they leave the stigma of the Second Lieutenant “Butter Bar” behind, and attain the rank of First Lieutenant. That day arrived for 2nd Lt. Antonia Pearse while standing in a dusty motor pool here January 2014.
When asked about her promotion, she replied with a smile “It’s wonderful; it feels good to be a First Lieutenant, I love it!”
In addition to her primary duty within the 365th Engineer Battalion as the Public Affairs Officer, 1st Lt. Pearse also functions as the Assistant Medical Officer. “It came as a surprise, honestly, but it’s pretty nice. I’m always learning new things, and the medics are a great group. They’re always ready and willing to do what it takes to get the job done,” she said regarding the Soldiers she works side-by-side with everyday.
With her completed degrees from both Syracuse and Idaho State Universities, 1st Lt. Pearse has begun thinking about her plans for the future. One of her primary goals is to remain in the Military, and become receive formal Public Affairs training, which would complement her current proficiency as a signal officer.
As a longer term goal, she is also considering training at the school for Psychological Operations, or PsyOps. That would have to occur once she redeploys from Afghanistan later this year. When asked about her friends and family back home, she said, “I just want to say thank you for all of your continued support, and I can’t wait to see all of you when I get back home.”
Despite the excitement surrounding her promotion, Pearse wasn’t the only one with something to smile about that day. Staff Sgt. Joseph Prevatte was also beaming with pride by the end of his reenlistment ceremony. After 11 years of service, this is Prevatte’s first deployment and he has no desire to quit any time soon. Referencing of his plans for his new term of service, he said “If you really like what you do in the Army, and you’re looking to make a career out of your military service, warrant officer is the way to go.”
His motivation to become a warrant officer stems from his love for his Military Occupational Specialty, which is Intelligent Analyst “I’m looking into a Special Forces unit down in Florida, where I could possibly transfer to and then attend warrant officer school in the intelligence specialty” he said regarding his thoughts for the future.
Staff Sgt. Prevatte’s education on the civilian side is extensive, with two Associates and two Bachelors degrees, as well as a Masters degree in Education. With aspirations of earning his Masters degree, he wants to become a teacher. For his teaching career, Staff Sgt. Prevatte mentioned “I want to teach history-ancient history of course, the most interesting.” His reenlistment contract is for an additional 6 years.
| Date Taken: | 01.27.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 02.06.2014 11:01 |
| Story ID: | 120185 |
| Location: | BAGRAM AIR FIELD, AF |
| Hometown: | NEW YORK, NY, US |
| Web Views: | 141 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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