Courtesy Photo | In 2019, Dreher (right) served as an escort for Mary Goff, a nurse who served in the...... read more read more
NEWPORT, R.I. — Kristine Dreher, an administrative technical specialist/team lead in the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division Newport’s Workforce Development Branch, has more than 24 years of federal service in various agencies.
A Division Newport employee since January 2016, Dreher’s daily tasks include providing oversight, support, and guidance to the team members who manage the mandatory training, supervisor, Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA), and leadership programs. She coordinates work priorities, review and approves training requests, assists with development of training policies and procedures, and oversees training processes and functions.
As a staff sergeant in the R.I. Army National Guard, Dreher works in financial management. She recently assisted with developing pay guidance for guard members called to active duty in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Dreher is currently assigned to the U.S. Property and Fiscal Office, Joint Force Headquarters Detachment in the R.I. Army National Guard. She enlisted in the U.S. Army in June 1989 as a light wheel vehicle mechanic.
After she completed training at Fort Dix, New Jersey, Dreher was assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 22nd Signal Battalion in Oberursel, Germany until 1992 and also to 5th Support Battalion, Fort Polk, Louisiana, until her honorable discharge in 1993.
From 1995 to 2006, Dreher was an administrative specialist, Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment 325th Military Intelligence Battalion, U. S. Army Reserve, East Windsor, Connecticut. From 2006-09, she was a financial management technician for the 192nd Military Police Battalion, Connecticut Army National Guard.
Dreher was mobilized to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, from 2001-02 in support of Operation Noble Eagle, the military's homeland defense mission, which began the day after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
Dreher holds an associate’s degree from the University of Phoenix and she is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in healthy communities, gerontology at Roger Williams University. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Dreher grew up in Atlantic City, New Jersey. She resides in Barrington, Rhode Island, with her 11-year-old son, Michael, and their rescue dog, Auggie.
Q&A about military service:
Q: Have you been called to duty during the coronavirus pandemic?
A: At the beginning of the pandemic, I was asked to serve in the R.I. Army National Guard Joint Operations Center to assist with initial planning and offer guidance, as needed, on soldier’s pay and entitlements if called to state active duty orders. I am currently not activated, but have been asked to serve in support of the current obligation in the near future.
Q: What is a typical weekend of Guard service like?
A: My main responsibilities as a financial management non-commissioned officer include budgeting, disbursing and accounting of government funds in support of the U.S. Property and Fiscal Office (USPFO) and the Army National Guard mission continuity. I counsel and advise soldiers on financial pay entitlements and proper documentation required to start/stop entitlements. I review the accuracy of Defense Travel System voucher data. I assist full-time USPFO staff in internal and external inspections and serve as a section leader. Our main mission is to provide support to all units in the state during drill weekend to include pre- and post-mobilization preparation. We must also participate in professional development and physical fitness.
I am always willing to support the unit mission and our families and I like to volunteer for other things like color guard at various official and local events, planning our annual unit family day and holiday party, assisting with remedial physical fitness training and tests, and supporting programs through our Military Family programs to include suicide prevention.
Q: What’s your most notable exercise?
A: The R.I. Army National Guard is part of a state partnership program with the Bahamas. The last two summers, I was selected to serve with an amazing team in support of a joint forces training exercise called Tradewinds. Tradewinds is a Caribbean-focused, joint, combined exercise conducted in conjunction with partner nations to enhance the collective abilities of defense forces and constabularies to counter transnational organized crime and to conduct humanitarian/disaster relief operations. The last two summers have been spent in the Bahamas and Dominican Republic.
Our main role is to operate a mayor’s cell, which serves as a point of continuity among the various military agencies, host nation and more than 19 other partner nations. Most recently, I served as the billeting operations non-commissioned officer and managed and tracked billets for more than 600 multinational forces. This exercise has allowed me to learn about our partner nations’ military members and support their training. The last two years attending this have been one of the highlights of my time in the Guard.
Q: Why did you sign up for the Guard?
A: I joined the R.I. Army National Guard in 2013. After a five-year break in service, I realized that I wanted to continue to serve my country. I had already served for more than 11 years and stepped away from the military when my son was born. I decided to reenlist so I could continue to serve and also reach my own personal goal of receiving my 20-year retirement letter. I missed the comradery, my duty to service and wanted to continue to be a role model to my son. I will be promoted soon and plan to serve until I no longer can, which will take me beyond 20 years.
Q: What advice do you have for anyone interested in reserve duty?
A: If you have an interest in serving in any branch of the military, I recommend researching all of your options and talking to veterans or those currently serving. There are many opportunities for enlisted personnel and officers. Decide on a career of interest and ensure that it has a transferable skill. There are many great benefits to serving — honor, pay, medical and educational benefits — but finding that career choice and knowing the career path is key.
I love serving my country and being a veteran. I have had great opportunities to continue my education and also be more involved in my community. In April 2019, I served as a veteran escort during the first all-female Honor Flight “Victory” to Washington, D.C.
I have never regretted my decision to join the Army at a young age. I have met some incredibly selfless people. Every weekend when I put on my uniform it fills me with pride in my own dedication to my state and country. This decision has opened up all the doors I have walked through to include more than 24 years in federal service.
NUWC Division Newport is a shore command of the U.S. Navy within the Naval Sea Systems Command, which engineers, builds and supports America’s fleet of ships and combat systems. NUWC Newport provides research, development, test and evaluation, engineering and fleet support for submarines, autonomous underwater systems, undersea offensive and defensive weapons systems, and countermeasures associated with undersea warfare.
NUWC Newport is the oldest warfare center in the country, tracing its heritage to the Naval Torpedo Station established on Goat Island in Newport Harbor in 1869. Commanded by Capt. Chad Hennings, NUWC Newport maintains major detachments in West Palm Beach, Florida, and Andros Island in the Bahamas, as well as test facilities at Seneca Lake and Fisher's Island, New York, Leesburg, Florida, and Dodge Pond, Connecticut.
| Date Taken: | 06.02.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 06.02.2020 13:33 |
| Story ID: | 371291 |
| Location: | NEWPORT, RI, US |
| Hometown: | BARRINGTON, RI, US |
| Web Views: | 50 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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