Photo By Sgt. Liane Hatch | Command Sgt. Maj. Octavia Greaves-Egyinam takes responsibility for the 10th Mountain...... read more read more
At 22, Pfc. Octavia Greaves entered the Army as a Unit Supply Specialist - a support role - because she wanted to travel the world. She had no idea then, in 1988, that as she stepped off the bus in Fort Jackson, SC, from her home in Fort Lauderdale, FL, she was taking the first steps on what would become a lifetime of service and support, and a whole lot of travel.
Today, Command Sgt. Major Greaves-Egyinam acts as the senior noncommissioned officer for the 10th Mountain Division (LI) Sustainment Brigade - something she never would have imagined when she first walked into the recruiter’s office. After nearly three decades of service, Greaves-Egyinam says she’s had 14 assignments in 29 years, and she’s taken on more roles than she can count.
“I’ve been a soldier and an NCO and a First Sergeant., and a mom and a wife and now a grandmother,” she said. “You have so many different roles to fill, so many jobs to do.”
As the Army celebrates Black History Month this year with the theme “African Americans in times of War,” Greaves-Egyinam reflects on a career that has not only spanned multiple wars, but seen countless changes.
“It’s been good to see the Army change and grow throughout my time,” she said. “Racial discrimination is there, yes. It’s there, and it happens, and everybody has their own biases and prejudices, but the way the Army emphasizes dignity and respect, it forces people to lay aside some of those prejudices and to work together no matter what they think of you. I’ve seen a lot of changes in the Army, from the Berlin Wall coming down while I was stationed in Germany, to the first females to make it through Ranger School. The Army has opportunities for everyone.”
While Greaves-Egyinam said she has never personally felt like a victim of racial discrimination in the Army, she emphasized that things have come a long way for both African American and female soldiers since she first enlisted.
“I was really scared to be a female 1st Sgt,” she said, “but I think that’s where my career really took off.”
And while Greaves-Egyinam struggles to identify what exactly she did to set her apart from her peers and lead her to her successes, she attributes much of it to the leaders who mentored her along the way, and said she always tries to do the same for junior soldiers today, stressing to Soldiers the importance of her “favorite drug,” L.S.S.D: leadership, safety, standards and discipline.
“As a brigade Command Sergeant Major, it’s harder to get into the nitty-gritty with junior Soldiers anymore. I just don’t see them in the day-to-day like I used to, but I’m always looking for opportunities to sit down with Soldiers and listen to what’s going on in their lives and with their families,” she said. “I like to think of myself as a servant leader, putting Soldiers first.”
At least, she said, that’s what her leaders did for her.
“I had leaders who sat me down from Day 0 and told me exactly what I needed to do to get ahead - things like looking for the difficult assignments, taking every opportunity that comes your way. That’s what I tell Soldiers today - go to Officer Candidate School, put in a packet for Warrant Officer, go to Ranger school or Airborne. Set yourself apart,” she said. Especially sustainment Soldiers - you don’t have to stay stuck, there are plenty of opportunities out there for you.”
Greaves-Egyinam said that as an African American and a female, she felt she had to be 10 steps ahead of everyone else, but that overcoming some of those obstacles became her greatest stepping stones.
Among those obstacles was juggling a thriving Army career while raising a daughter alone.
“Most of my career has been as a single parent,” she said. “I had my daughter when I was an E-4 Specialist in Korea, and one of the hardest things I had to do in my career was leave on a deployment during her senior year of high school.”
But, as far as her daughter, 26-year-old Ieshia Greaves-Thomas is concerned, her mother did a phenomenal job.
“My Mom is my hero,” said Greaves-Thomas. “She taught me that women can do anything men can do; she taught me to dominate whatever it is I’m working towards. I love that she’s so involved in women’s outreach and empowerment, and wants to make an impact on the lives of her Soldiers. My life with her has been high speed,” she said.
Incidentally, Greaves-Egyinam points to her daughter, Greaves-Thomas, as her hero as well.
“She followed in my footsteps, but she’s my hero,” Greaves-Egyinam said.
Greaves-Thomas is currently a Sergeant in the United States Marine Corps, where she also serves in a supply support capacity.
And while support has been the name of the game in Greaves-Egyinam’s 29-year military career, it’s also her driving passion outside of the Army.
“I had a lot of people in the church and the community help me out when Ieshia was born and when she was a young child. There’s no way I could have done it without the help of the Lord and the people around me,” she said. “Now that I don’t have any young kids, I get to give back and do the same thing for other women. I love serving others. I love hospitality. It’s my passion.”
In addition to mentoring Soldiers in her role as brigade command sergeant major, Greaves-Egyinam is part of a ministry out of Fort Drum’s Inspirational Gospel service, called “Women of Worth,” which is aimed at empowering women of faith and coming alongside them in support.
“I also find fulfillment in working with spouses,” she said. “I’m a military spouse now too, but I don’t really know that role the way civilian spouses do,” she said. “I enjoy being able to come alongside them when all they know of the military is what they hear from their husband.”
For Greaves-Egyinam, taking care of Soldiers and families goes above and beyond.
“She’s a wonderful example for all Soldiers and a great leader,” said Spc. Kaylee Natale, who has worked as Greaves-Egyinam’s driver for over a year. “When I found out I was pregnant, she helped me get furniture, helped me prepare for the baby, made sure I had everything I needed. She even came to visit me and the baby in the hospital. That’s how you know she really cares. She comes in every day with a smile and just loves to do whatever she can to help Soldiers.”
In her role as a Unit Supply Specialist, Pfc. Greaves job revolved around supporting the mission by providing supplies and conducting inventories. Nearly 30 years later, Command Sgt. Major Greaves-Egyinam’s job - and life passion - is to support not only the climb, as the brigade motto says, but to support the men and women in uniform, climbing to glory alongside her.
| Date Taken: | 02.23.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 02.23.2018 11:39 |
| Story ID: | 266963 |
| Location: | FORT DRUM, NY, US |
| Hometown: | FORT LAUDERDALE, FL, US |
| Web Views: | 485 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, 10th Sustainment Senior NCO Shines Through Lifetime of Support, by SGT Liane Hatch, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
LEAVE A COMMENT