Photo By Staff Sgt. David Lietz | Chief Warrant Officer 3 Tracy Park shares her story of growth and service in the U.S....... read more read more
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – Army Reserve Chief Warrant Officer 3 Tracy Park grew up in the small town of Seneca, Illinois where no one is a stranger.
“In a town of twelve hundred people, everybody knows everybody,” said Park. “My high school graduating class was 57 students.”
She recalled going to the local Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) with her dad who, with her uncle, served in Vietnam. Her dad served in supply and her uncle served with U.S. Army Special Forces.
“We would go to the corned beef and cabbage dinners,” said Park. “My dad would talk with the World War II veterans [there].”
Following graduation, Park attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. But she was still seeking her field of study.
“I changed my major every semester. I did not know what I wanted to be.”
One area that did interest Park was the military. One day while walking off campus she saw a sign in the window of a recruiting office with the words: Join the Army.
But her first choice was not to join the U.S. Army. It was the Marine Corps.
“Before starting recruit training they told me they were not going to honor my contract and offered me an honorable discharge.”
She accepted the honorable discharge and returned to Seneca. The next time she set foot in a recruiting office, it was for the U.S. Army.
“When I told my dad I was joining the Army he said it was the best thing that could [have] happened to me. It felt like it was the right fit. I liked all the options they had,” said Park.
“In [the late eighties], [the army] had the two plus two [plus four] program for students with two years of college. I had to perform two years of active duty and I received 20 thousand dollars for college as part of the Montgomery G-I Bill,” explained Park.
One issue of the program for Park was the limited number of career options.
“They had laundry, clerk, cook, supply and truck driver,” said Park. “I decided to become a truck driver.”
After training as a fuel transportation specialist, Park was assigned to Spinelli Barracks in Manheim, Germany.
“I hauled Jet Propulsion fuel type 4 and Jet Propulsion Fuel type 6,” she said. “Those are jet fuels and fuels used by cargo aircraft.”
During her time off from duty, Park traveled exploring Europe.
“I saw everything [from] Italy, Spain, Denmark, Belgium, Great Britain and France,” she said. “There was a lot to see. I went to Paris three times.”
Her intention was to additionally travel to Greece with a friend but that was halted due to the assassination of U.S. defense attaché William Nordeen by the November 17 Leftist Group June 29, 1988.
“They targeted him because they knew his route to work,” said Park. “After that, all U.S. military travel to Greece was cancelled unless it was deemed necessary.”
After serving in Europe, Park returned to the United States and joined the Army Reserve.
“I continued my Army service in the reserve. I was stationed at an Army Reserve unit in Salisbury, North Carolina.”
She also returned to school to pursue paralegal studies. She completed her paralegal education at the American Institute for Paralegals in Phoenix, Arizona in 1992 and moved back to the Chicago area the following year. She also earned an accounting degree from Roosevelt University.
A few years later, in 1998, then Staff Sergeant Park put her packet to attend Warrant Officer Candidate School (WOCS) and changed her career field to Human Resources.
“I like the technical expertise side of being a warrant officer,” explained Park.
“That’s why I chose it.”
Park described her training at Warrant Officer Candidate School at Fort Rucker, Alabama as “challenging.”
“I think it is difficult because of the intense physical requirements and the level of stress they put you under on a daily basis.”
After completing WOCS, she served in three units across the Chicago area during a span of 15 years.
She served with the 6015th Garrison Support Unit from 1999 until 2005, and then a short tour of duty with the 84th training Division in Sturtevant, Wisconsin before joining the 85th Support Command, formerly known as the 85th Training Division.
“I have been [assigned to the 85th] since November of 2005,” said Park.
She is currently anticipating a promotion to Chief Warrant Officer 4 this year.
Reflecting on her career, Park said a lot that has helped her career was due to volunteering.
“All the extra knowledge you gain through volunteering will help your career. It gives you contacts and helps you become a broader and better-rounded person,” she said.
Currently, she volunteers with the Algonquin Middle School Boosters Club, the parent-teacher organization and unit-community engagement events.
She is also proud of the gains made by female soldiers during her 29 year career and counting.
“Our roles have definitely changed,” she said. “It used to be ‘you can’t do the job, why are you here?’ to ‘here is the job, let’s get it done together.’”
Park also praises the women who are willing to take on jobs that were previously banned from them.
“Kudos to the women who are willing to take on jobs like becoming an Army Ranger. They are breaking down the barriers and helping women years from now become more accepted in those roles.”
| Date Taken: | 03.17.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 03.17.2015 16:01 |
| Story ID: | 157281 |
| Location: | ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, ILLINOIS, US |
| Web Views: | 610 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Army Reserve soldier shares her career story of growth and service in the Army, by SSG David Lietz, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
LEAVE A COMMENT