Maintenance window scheduled to begin at February 14th 2200 est. until 0400 est. February 15th

(e.g. yourname@email.com)

Forgot Password?

    Defense Visual Information Distribution Service Logo

    94th AAMDC’s Shadow the CG wraps up with CSA visit

    94th AAMDC’s Shadow the CG wraps up with CSA visit

    Photo By Kimberly Menzies | Spc. Nathan G. Thompson, an intelligence analyst with 94th Army Air and Missile...... read more read more

    JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, HI, UNITED STATES

    02.18.2015

    Story by Sgt. Kimberly Menzies 

    94th Army Air and Missile Defense Command

    JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii - Six Soldiers with the 94th Army Air and Missile Defense Command, concluded their participation in a new leadership development program, Shadow the CG, Feb. 11, 2015, during the Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Raymond T. Odierno’s visit to the Headquarters of the 94th AAMDC, U.S. Army Pacific at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii.

    "After reading through the results of my initial command climate survey, it was apparent to me that our junior enlisted Soldiers didn't fully understand how they contribute to the bigger picture of the command", said Brig. Gen. Eric L. Sanchez, commanding general of the 94th Army Air and Missile Defense Command. "I felt this was an opportune time to institute a program to allow a select group of junior enlisted Soldiers to gain additional knowledge on how we fit into the Army, Joint, and Combined Team. Additionally, it would allow me to get to know the Soldiers and gain insight on how the unit is operating from their foxhole."

    “The [commanding general] implemented the program for junior enlisted Soldiers to have an opportunity to gain a better understanding of how the military operates,” shared Pfc. Ingrid Mattson, a utilities equipment repairer with the 94th AAMDC. “It is a chance for us to see, firsthand, how a CG impacts the unit and what his work consists of.”

    Over the period of a month, six 94th AAMDC Soldiers spent their day shadowing Sanchez through various meetings, site visits and daily responsibilities.

    “During my shadow, I accompanied the CG to a meeting with the [brigadier general] of the 32nd Army Air and Missile Defense Command,” said Pfc. Emmanuel E. Miranda, a human resource specialist with the 94th AAMDC.

    “The meetings really helped me understand what is really going on behind the scenes of the typical Army lifestyle,” said Pfc. Brandon W. Besser, an administrator for operations force management.

    Though many of the Soldiers listened to briefs and attended meetings, they also spent time discussing, listening and sharing Army experiences with Sanchez.

    “My most memorable conversation with the CG was when we discussed his personal military history and his decisions that led to him becoming a [brigadier general],” explains Spc. Nathan G. Thompson, a 94th AAMDC intelligence analyst.

    “We sat and talked about family,” adds Besser. “How he made and continues to balance Family and work. Family is everything to me.”

    “We had a conversation discussing where Brig. Gen. Sanchez sees the Army going as far as downsizing,” shares Mattson. “To me, that conversation was something that broadened my perspective on the military, the changes that are occurring and how that affects me directly. It was very insightful to have an opportunity to experience what the responsibilities of being the CG consists of and how resilient you must be.”

    A common sentiment from the participating Soldiers is they now hold a better understanding of the impact that they, as Soldiers, have on the Army.

    “I learned the importance of junior enlisted and noncommissioned officer Soldiers,” said Thompson. “We provide the expertise needed for officers to make informed decisions.”

    “I chose to enlist in the Army because I was not satisfied with the way I was living after I graduated from high school,” shares Mattson. “Finances had always been a continuous struggle in my family, so being able to receive a college education didn’t seem like a possibility for me. I chose to accept it but I always had this underlying feeling that I could do something more to earn a better life for myself. Enlistment in the U.S. Army, a decision that I am grateful for and that has impacted me in so many ways, has given me a better outlook for my future. This program has provided me with an added understanding of how things work which will help me to continue to be the best Soldier that I can be.”

    The program was not only a learning experience for the junior Soldiers but also for Sanchez.

    "I believe I learned as much or more than the Soldiers did and plan to continue this effort in the future," said Sanchez.

    The pinnacle of the shadowing experience for the Soldiers was the opportunity to be present and to be recognized during the overview brief of the Integrated Air Missile Defense Plan from the 94th AAMDC staff directorates to the chief of staff of the Army, Ordierno.

    “Meeting the CSA, shaking his hand and being recognized for being selected as part of this leadership development program, is a moment of my life that I will never forget,” expresses Mattson.

    LEAVE A COMMENT

    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 02.18.2015
    Date Posted: 02.18.2015 22:03
    Story ID: 154796
    Location: JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, HI, US

    Web Views: 78
    Downloads: 0

    PUBLIC DOMAIN