Stereotypes couldn't contain her

Photo By Angela Messinger | Sheila Johnson, BGCA deputy commander, and Marc Schmidt, quality assurance specialist ammunition surveillance, discuss the timing of GB agent sampling selection May 1, 2018, at BGCA. Sampling is conducted quarterly using real-time analytical platforms.  

RICHMOND, KY, UNITED STATES

05.17.2018

Story by Angela Messinger 

Army Chemical Materials Activity

She kicks off her black flats and trades them for steel-toed boots. She makes her way toward the restricted area of the Blue Grass Army Depot. Sheila D. Johnson, deputy commander for the Blue Grass Chemical Activity, must ensure all goes well for the leaking chemical munition containerization demonstration for the U.S. Army Chemical Materials Activity surety staff assistance visit.
As she approaches the training bunker, the toxic material handler crew leader greets her and provides a quick update on the status of the team. The forklift, training munitions, tarps, real-time analytical platform and a small team donning personal protective equipment are all in place for the demonstration.
After a quick conference with the safety officer, Johnson signals her approval to begin the operation. Thirty minutes later, the crew emerges from the igloo, with the “leaking” chemical munition safely sealed in a protective container.
Johnson ends the day with a briefing by the inspection team, wraps up last-minute deadlines, and prepares her tasks for the next duty day.
“It has been extremely satisfying to be part of the leadership team responsible for the movement to demilitarize the last of the nation’s chemical weapons stockpile,” Johnson said.
Johnson grew up very poor in rural Virginia. She was the first of her family to choose a different way of life.
“No one in my family attended college. You graduated from high school and took a production job,” she said. “I chose not to live that life.”
She left the familiarity of her hometown and defied the expectations of her community to embark on a new, exciting adventure with the U.S. Army.
She completed Basic Training and entered Advanced Individual Training to become a military policeman, which was a field primarily occupied by men.
Working as a female law enforcement officer in the Army can present its own unique set of demands, said Arnold C. Beland, BGCA chief of staff and retired military police noncommissioned officer. “When Ms. Johnson was in the Army, not all career fields allowed females. I imagine a female military police officer would have faced certain challenges when confronting males who may not have had any experience with female soldiers in authoritative roles.”
She was accepted to the Drill Sergeant Academy and trained at Fort Benning, Georgia, home of the Army Infantry School. Johnson said she was the only woman on the academy’s complex for the duration of the 10-week training course, which posed both physical and mental challenges.
Upon graduation, she served for two years as a drill sergeant for incoming military police. She trained and challenged them from their arrival to Basic Training through completing their initial military police course to become fully qualified MPs.
“The most rewarding part of that job was to see a street punk walk in, out of shape and with an attitude, and walk out disciplined and combat-ready,” said Johnson. “It made all the long hours and hard work worth it.”
Johnson’s 20-year military career culminated with a three year assignment at the Department of the Army Inspector General office. This job equipped her with the skill set and attention to detail that she would need to transition from a military to civilian career in the compliance arena.
Several years after her military retirement, Johnson was hired as director of compliance and surety for BGCA. In this position, she had the responsibility to oversee all aspects of the unit’s compliance and inspection program, the chemical personnel reliability program and the physical security of the chemical limited area where the chemical weapons are stored.
She became the first female deputy in the history of CMA.
“This organization has been fortunate to have commanders who encourage employees to excel and support their efforts,” Johnson said. “I have never been treated differently because of my gender, but have been allowed to succeed based on merit. If someone has a problem with me because I am a woman, I let that be their problem, not mine.”
In addition to her contributions to the safe and secure storage of the chemical weapons and their eventual destruction, Johnson ensures she contributes to the welfare of the community in other, more personal, ways. She became a big sister for Big Brothers Big Sisters of America
and assisted with their fundraising efforts.
She is also known for her advocacy for Kentucky’s veterans. She has coordinated wounded warrior deer hunts on the depot and led the efforts to create a depot memorial for all Kentucky service members who have lost their lives since 9/11.
“The Army experience was key to where I am today,” she said. “I would tell any woman not to succumb to any stereotype placed on them.”

• Date Taken: 05.17.2018
• Date Posted: 05.17.2018 14:01
• Story ID: 277377
• Location: RICHMOND, KY, US