Warrant officer finds camaraderie within cohort

Photo By Mikayla Mast | Warrant Officer Rachel Hammond, S-4 maintenance officer in charge, 1st Space Brigade said she has experienced the mutual trust between warrant officers, as they rely on their experience and expertise in their various fields.  

REDSTONE ARSENAL, AL, UNITED STATES

07.08.2020

Story by Mikayla Mast 

U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command

REDSTONE ARSENAL, Alabama -- The U.S. Army is known for the camaraderie amongst its members, but according to one warrant officer, there is a special bond among those in the Warrant Officer Cohort, the Army’s smallest faction that makes up just 2.5 percent of the total force.

Warrant Officer Rachel Hammond, S-4 maintenance officer in charge, 1st Space Brigade, said that warrant officers are able to lean on each other’s expertise and count on each other when needed.

“I grew up in a military family and from an early age I knew that’s what I wanted for myself,” Hammond said. “We regularly had people from all walks of life at our home and I thought of them all like our extended family. I wanted to meet people from all over the world and experience that camaraderie for myself.”

Hammond found the connection she was searching for in the Army, but she said she did not know that she would join the Warrant Officer Cohort when she enlisted.

“I began my Army career in 2007 as a 94E Radio Communication Security Repairer,” Hammond said. “I worked through the ranks learning as much as possible eventually holding the noncommissioned officer in charge position in communications and electronics shops, supporting both a light infantry brigade and then an armored brigade.”

Hammond said while working at her first shop, she experienced how warrant officers fit into the grand scheme of Army missions and it helped her decide on a career path.

“I received mentorship while working under extremely high functioning, dedicated warrant officers,” Hammond said. “That’s what influenced me and helped me decide the direction I wanted to take with my career.”

Hammond was commissioned as a warrant officer in 2018. Warrant officers are the technical foundation of the Army, and they specialize in a particular field. They use their expertise to advise senior leaders and commanders and to train Soldiers in their fields.

“I transitioned into a 948B Electronics Maintenance Warrant,” Hammond said. “My parents were electricians while on active duty in the Navy, and I thought this was a way to relate to them in some measure.”

Hammond said her career gave her the opportunity to work with specialty equipment that is unique to the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command that she would not have experienced anywhere else.

“There are so many different types of communications and small electronics equipment throughout the Army. You may not see them all throughout the entirety of your career,” Hammond said. “As the 1st Space Brigade maintenance officer I am responsible for managing and enforcing maintenance standards and procedures for all of our elements located around the world ensuring we maintain operational readiness.”

During her time as a warrant officer, Hammond said she has experienced the mutual trust between warrant officers, as they rely on their experience and expertise in their various fields.

“I like to think that warrant officers, regardless of their expertise, will always have the back of their peers who are in need of information,” Hammond said. “Like everyone else we can be placed in a position or get handed something that we may not be familiar with, but I know if I reach out someone within the cohort will answer.”

• Date Taken: 07.08.2020
• Date Posted: 07.08.2020 17:24
• Story ID: 373526
• Location: REDSTONE ARSENAL, AL, US