Photo By Lt. Col. Ebony Gay | Col. Karen Monday-Gresham, outgoing 4th Brigade (Personnel Services) commander...... read more read more
FORT JACKSON, S.C. – During the career of any military leader, taking command of a unit at various echelons is thought of as one the most challenging endeavors bestowed upon our nation’s service men and women.
The 4th Brigade (Personnel Services), a down-trace unit of the 94th Training Division-Force Sustainment, gathered at Fort Jackson’s Victory Field to bid farewell to Col. Karen Monday-Gresham and welcome Col. Janene Marshall-Gatling as the new brigade commander on 8 July 2016 during the unit’s change of command ceremony.
For Monday-Gresham, a Jacksonville, Florida based Troop Program Units soldier and an Arbonne Independent Consultant/H&R Block Tax Preparer; her farewell speech was heartfelt as she tried to hold back tears while informing all in attendance of her command tenure that began on 17 July 2016. As Monday-Gresham became misty-eyed, it was evident that her tears were a symbol of humility, triumph, perseverance, and denial that her time as the 4th Brigade commander was coming to an end.
Having taken command of 4th Brigade two years ago, Monday-Gresham was candid about her mindset going into her brigade position; stating that she was in awe in a command environment that was new to her. She also expressed no regrets and viewed command time as a significant venture.
“Two years ago, I took command of the 4th Brigade not having a clue of what I was getting myself into taking this position. There were tons of new words and acronyms-like Army Program of Individual Training (ARPRINT), One Army School System (OASS), Individual Student Assessment Plan (ISAP), Program of Instruction (POI), and Integrated Personnel and Pay System-Army (IPPS-A). It reminded me of many years ago when I started in the special operations forces community, where I sat in meetings taking notes about things I did not understand. I knew nothing about tasks and the instructors. It was challenging, but it was a great opportunity, and it’s one that I fully embraced and took advantage of”, said Monday-Gresham.
Monday-Gresham went on to share accounts of what it took for her to complete a successful command tenure, crediting those who’ve path the way for her which contributed to her to succeeding.
Having traveled thousands of miles with the 4th Brigade command sergeant major, Command Sgt. Maj. Carter Clendenin and a 23-year sergeant on the Greensboro, North Carolina sheriff’s department, Monday-Gresham expressed how grateful she was to have had a fantastic command sergeant major who kept her on track.
“CSM Clendenin, you and I have traveled almost 80,000 miles in the past two years. I cannot thank you enough for being my partner in this journey. You’ve always supported my decisions, yet were not afraid to give me advice and counsel me when I needed it”, said Monday-Gresham.
For Clendenin, Monday-Gresham’s success is attributed to her not only being a being a real leader to the soldiers of 4th Brigade but a leader of the adjutant general regiment as a whole.
“Her work ethic is relentless. She strives for excellence and demands such amongst her battalion commanders, soldiers and herself. Her willingness to learn the brigade structure and commitment to take experiences that she has had throughout her military career and apply them to her command position is what enabled her to excel as a commander”, said Clendenin.
Monday-Gresham also thanked Brig. Gen. Hector Lopez, 94th TD-FS commanding general for allowing her to move 4th Brigade forward, try new things, make mistakes and recover from them while supporting the brigade through its challenges and successes.
Tribute was also paid to the soldiers of 4th Brigade by Monday-Gresham. “You have fully embraced the One Army School System and taken the unit to a new level. In the past two years, you’ve conducted 203 classes and graduated over 7100 soldiers from all components”, she said.
Adding, “This is more than double the number of students the active component graduates each year and is truly indicative of 4th Brigade’s professionalism and commitment to training the soldiers of tomorrow”, said Monday-Gresham.
With a brigade footprint composed of five battalions in several states across the U.S. and 92 missions taught each year, Monday-Gresham’s speech concluded with her stating that her time as the 4th Brigade commander was her greatest assignment yet. “This has been the best assignment in my 27 years of military service. I enjoyed the daily challenges, strategic planning, conference calls, and travel. This assignment has been like no other.”
For Monday-Gresham, the soldiers and comradery of the 4th Brigade are what she will miss most. “These soldiers are amazing. They give so much of their own time to ensure that they’re proficient and ready to go. I think losing that sense of family is going to be the biggest challenge", said Monday-Gresham.
Monday-Gresham shared a bit of advice that she believes will aid Marshall-Gatling as she embarks on her two-year command. “There’s a lot of moving pieces and change coming. My guidance would be to embrace the challenges and changes. Continue to push the instructors forward as much as you can because it’s truly going to be the game changer in our personnel services environment and finally having all components on one human resource system. Making these things happen and making the transition work is going to be essential to her command”, said Monday-Gresham.
With Marshall-Gatling, a Troop Program Units soldier and franchise owner of College Nannies and Tutors in Naperville South, Illinois, coming into her first command, she explains her mindset about taking on her new position.
“I’m excited to be an AG officer taking command of a personnel services brigade. My initial goals are to qualify instructors because that’s part of the force structure. That’s what we do is teach. I think people need to know and understand this is essential. Personnel services is not an easy job, and this is where you start ground up. People want qualified personnel in their units. It’s our job to ensure we train the next generation of soldiers.
Marshall-Gatling went on to share the tools she’ll use and lessons learned throughout her military career that she believes will aid her with a successful command. “Setting the standard, observing how soldiers manage expectations as well as managing my expectation and conveying what I expect from soldiers are some of the tools I will use. I think when you go into a unit and set that foundation by letting your troops know what you expect of them makes it a lot easier for everyone involved”, said Marshall-Gatling.
Lopez also welcomed Marshall-Gatling back to the largest training division in the Army. “You are coming into the brigade at the perfect time. Thanks to Col. Monday-Gresham, you are inheriting an institution that has a demonstrated record of accomplishments. It is your responsibility to ensure that the brigade continues forward on its journey to teach and generate mission-ready soldiers’, said Lopez.
Eager to start her position leading the soldiers of 4th Brigade upon the conclusion of the unit’s change of command ceremony, Marshall-Gatling was all smiles stating, “It’s a beautiful day to be in the Army.”
| Date Taken: | 07.30.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 07.31.2018 01:26 |
| Story ID: | 286404 |
| Location: | FORT JACKSON, SC, US |
| Hometown: | JACKSONVILLE, FL, US |
| Hometown: | NAPERVILLE, IL, US |
| Web Views: | 353 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Personnel Services Brigade Bids Farewell to Commander during Heartfelt Ceremony, by LTC Ebony Gay, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
LEAVE A COMMENT