Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Jessica Littlejohn | Army Sgts. Maj. Kenya L. Berry and Tara J. Haywood, both Milledgeville, Georgia...... read more read more
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FORT BLISS, TEXAS- It all started in a set of duplexes in the West End Projects of Milledgeville, Georgia. At the ages of 2 and 5, two girls became friends as toddlers. Their mothers were good friends and lived next door to each other, so the girls played together often, which allowed the pair to literally grow-up together.
Throughout adolescence, the two managed to go to the same schools and stay close, even when one girl moved to another part of town. Two of their favorite hangouts on the weekends were the McDonald’s parking lot and the skating rink.
“Kenya actually worked at McDonald’s,” said Army Sgt. Maj. Tara A. Haywood, a recent honor graduate of Class 66 at the United States Army Sergeant Majors Academy. “We used to hang out in the parking lot after different sporting events. Another popular hangout was the skating rink on the weekends. Back then they had step shows, so that was the highlight.”
Growing up in the projects, the pair did not want to fall victim to their circumstance. They wanted more out of life and saw their potential could take them further than the streets of Milledgeville could.
Army Sgt. Maj. Kenya L. Berry, also a recent honor graduate of Class 66, said because there were not a lot of opportunities, living there could make you stagnate in your career choices.
“You could pretty much be a nurse, a teacher, or work in a factory,” said Berry.
Being strong-willed and determined is a spirit that both Berry and Haywood were raised with. Berry attributes her strength to how she was raised and the strong line of highly educated females in her family.
“For me, I think my background played a role in how my future would look because the females were the strong point in my life,” said Berry.
Haywood says her dad would tell her stories about hardships they had as a family, but worked through it.
“My parents raised us to know that if we worked hard and got an education that no one could take anything away from us,” said Haywood.
In November 1993, Haywood, then a single mother, decided to enlist in the Army right out of high school to provide a better life for her daughter, Shaquana. She said it was difficult to raise to a child in the military, but she did not want to use that as an excuse not to continue with her career.
“Fortunately, for me, I had more positive experiences than negative,” said Haywood. “A network of friends and family assisted me with my daughter while I was deployed and in the field. However, it was difficult because I spent a lot of time away from her.”
Haywood’s sad feelings of leaving her daughter were not without its rewards. Shaquana said she was a better-rounded individual and more educated because she was a military brat.
“As a parent I felt bad having to leave her, but when she was going off to college she told me, ‘Do not have any regrets’,” said Haywood. “When she talked to her peers, she realized she was more advanced in a lot of ways and in her thought process being raised as a military brat. That eased the pain a little bit.”
Because of their parents’ friendship and constant communication over the years, Berry and Haywood were able to keep in touch while separated, but finally reconnected in person at Fort Drum, New York, when Berry spotted Haywood at the Syracuse Mall. Once they saw each other, from that point on, they never separated, said Berry.
Although she was already in the U.S. Army Reserves, Berry wanted a stronger and more sustainable career and wanted to keep her family together. Her husband had been in the Army for six years, and she would always have to quit her job every two to three years to follow him as he advanced in the Army. She wanted more for her future and career when she decided to enlist as active-duty Army in 1997.
“The only way that I could potentially not have it all, but have it all, was to become active duty,” said Berry.
Berry said that Haywood played a part in her decision to join the Army, after she saw Haywood’s progress and success.
“I was able to talk to her and get her point of view,” said Berry. “I listened to her positives and saw that she was doing just fine and she liked it.”
For more than 40 years, Berry and Haywood have been close friends and have overcome hardships, all while staying motivated and succeeding within the ranks of the Army.
Before Haywood came to USASMA, she endured an injury and was considering retirement, but Berry would not let her give up.
“She told me to search hard within myself and fight,” said Haywood. “She told me I had worked so hard to get here, and that I should not give up.”
Berry pulled Haywood to the gym several times a week for a month until she got better, and the hard work ended up paying off as they both graduated Top 20% of the class.
“She says I am bossy,” said Berry. “She says I’m always like her mama, but I do it out of love because our friendship is beyond an associate or a friendship that I may have with someone else in the Army. She is more like family.”
Berry also went through some tough times with the loss of her second son, but throughout her struggles her friend was always by her side.
“My second son passed away and she was there,” said Berry. “She came home for that. She knows my struggles that I have had with him passing. Losing a child and then always having to leave your kids behind [for deployment] is always difficult.”
Berry said their friendship has enabled them to grow over the years. They both came from the same small town, both enlisted in the Army, both obtained graduate degrees from Liberty University, both majored in Human Services Counseling, and were both selected for the sergeant’s major list at the same time. Also, both of their future assignments are in Korea.
“We never sat down and talked about life goals together, but I recently realized how close in comparison our records are,” said Berry. “We never planned it. It just happened that way.”
Both Berry and Haywood have many accolades and said they have been blessed throughout their careers. Together, they contribute their success to their upbringing in Milledgeville.
“The values that have been instilled in us are to be hard workers and to have a never quit attitude,” said Haywood.
Before Berry departs the states and goes on to her follow-on assignment in Korea, she left advice for those hoping to walk in her footsteps one day.
“Anytime you want success, be around success,” said Berry. “Do not run from the hard jobs because sometimes the hard jobs are the ones that make you successful.”
| Date Taken: | 08.01.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 08.02.2016 14:50 |
| Story ID: | 205687 |
| Location: | EL PASO, TX, US |
| Hometown: | MILLEDGEVILLE, GA, US |
| Web Views: | 4,034 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, 40 Years of Friendship: A story of growing up, hard times, and success, by SFC Jessica Littlejohn, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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