Photo By Staff Sgt. Sharon Matthias | The 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade Retention Team was presented the “Fiscal Year 19...... read more read more
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FORT BRAGG, N.C. --- The secret behind the successful accomplishments of the 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade Retention Office, was they adhere to the goals of the Army Retention Program, communicate the Troopers' needs to commanders, and good teamwork among the career counselors and commanders.
The 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade Retention Team was presented the “Fiscal Year 19 Top Overall Brigade” and “Fiscal Year 19 Early Bird Award” by the 82nd Airborne Division Commander Maj. Gen. James Mingus, on Fort Bragg, Feb. 10, 2020.
The 82nd CAB career counselors and the unit commanders worked in unison, which always exceeded the Division retention objectives and resulted in maintaining consistency as the top producers.
“The retention program is a commander’s program,” said Sgt. 1st Class Malissa Torres, 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade, senior career counselor. “The teamwork and support from our commanders and the initiative and drive of the councilors to take care of Soldiers were vital in achieving our retention objectives.”
The members of the 82nd CAB retention team are Sgt. 1st Class Melissa Torres, Sgt. 1st Class Carlos Ramirez, Staff Sgt. Elias Rios, Staff Sgt. Silver Long, Staff Sgt. Brian O’Berry, Staff Sgt. Amber Gibson, and Staff Sgt. Katlyn Platt.
These counselors put the Soldiers’ welfare and well-being ahead of everything that’s going on in their own lives and that’s one of the reasons why they make mission, said Torres.
The pillars of the 82nd CAB are Soldiers. They have maintained a record of acceptable performance, and in return, they are offered the privilege of reenlisting within the Regular Army and transferring or enlisting into the Reserve Component.
To start a sincere reenlistment conversation with Soldiers often required commanders to leave from behind their desks, to go to the flight lines, motor pools, and CAVs to talk to them.
Commanders used that opportunity to meet Soldiers to asked about their families, and treated them with an appreciation for being on their team.
U.S. Army Command Sgt. Maj. Albert Serrano, 2nd Battalion, 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade, was sincerely involved in ongoing open communication with Soldiers. He stated he understood why it was necessary to retain Soldiers, therefore he invested time to empower them to take pride in themselves and their service to their country.
Serrano said he spoke to his Soldiers and do physical training with them, so they saw him as an approachable human being not just a figure of authority. He made himself accessible, shared his experiences, not because of retention numbers, instead he knew someone has to replace him someday, said Serrano.
“I fully believe that the Army is a people business if you don’t take care of the people nothing is going to happen,” said Serrano. “My retention counselor SFC Ramirez will brief me, for example, if a careerist is undecided. First I will talk to the 1st Sgt., then the Soldier by asking what can we do to help them get what they want, I then talk to the counselor, and we all try to find a happy medium.”
U.S. Army Staff Sgt. James Mackatura, a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter repairer assigned to 3rd Battalion, 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade, was known as a career Soldier based on the Army’s goal and mission personnel policy.
Mackatura, originally from Interlachen, Fla., reenlisted on Feb. 11, 2020, and will continue to serve until he retires.
His future goal is to become an instructor at the Advanced Individual Training school. He hopes to make a contribution to change the training doctrine to merge the Military Occupational Specialties UH-60 helicopter repairer with crew chief experience.
Machatura now joins the long legacy of career Soldiers who served in the 82nd CAB.
“If you take care of Soldiers the mission is going to make itself, so career counselors are not numbers-driven they work late nights and they take work home,” said Torres. “The fact that there is consistency in our achievements just indicates what a great job this team is doing taking care of Soldiers.”
In two consecutive years, the 82nd CAB retention office won FY 18 Top Overall Brigade and FY 17 Top Overall Expiration of Term of Service Cohort award.
| Date Taken: | 02.12.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 02.15.2020 19:39 |
| Story ID: | 363270 |
| Location: | FORT BRAGG, NC, US |
| Hometown: | INTERLACHEN, FL, US |
| Web Views: | 517 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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