U.S. Army Major in Western Japan continues her strive for excellence

Photo By Brian Lamar | Capt. Sara Raxter, the support operations officer for the 10th Support Group Ammunition Depot is promoted to Major during a promotion ceremony on Sept. 13 at Torii Beach in Okinawa, Japan.  

KURE, HIROSHIMA, JAPAN

12.01.2023

Story by Brian Lamar 

U.S. Army Japan

On any given day, Maj. Sara Raxter, the support operations officer for the 10th Support Group’s Ammunition Depot in Kure, Japan, finds herself responsible for the planning and execution of multiple missions that oversee more than a billion dollars worth of ammunition and equipment.
Raxter has already made a name for herself in her most recent challenge as the 10th SG Ammo Depot SPO.

According to her boss, Lt. Col. Michael Gallucci, the commander of the Ammo Depot, Raxter is one of the most capable officers he’s worked with in his career. “Maj. Raxter has gifted-level abilities to effectively succeed at managing a myriad of complex tasks daily, while always maintaining an unbelievably calm, pleasant, and team-uniting demeanor. I wish I were personally blessed with her extensive multi-dimensional talents, and I believe she has to potential to become a future Senior Leader of the US Army’s Sustainment Enterprise. Maj. Raxter is truly one of those very rare and especially genuine people in life, who just makes absolutely everyone
and everything around her better”.

Raxter’s attention to meticulous detail and internal drive for perfection were learned early in life. As a young child, Raxter was diagnosed with learning disabilities, such as dyslexia coupled with a severe speech impediment. For many, this combo would be an insurmountable setback, but Raxter viewed it a different way.

"It gave me a drive. I knew I had to find a way to get through everything in order to get to the other side. I would put in a lot of extra hours in school that I knew my other classmates weren't doing. It helped me to be able to show my other classmates how much I benefitted from my hard work,” Raxter said.

As Raxter’s work ethic grew, she found the hard work paid off. Minor setbacks only gave her more motivation. She also found that her motivation was internal.

“I became very dedicated and focused. I had a drive to get straight A’s. I didn’t always reach my goal, but it was just fuel for me to drive harder. I wasn’t pushed to get good grades. It was my own personal desire to go above and beyond what others expected of me,” said explained.

Raxter had a plan to pass her love of learning on to others. She attended Northern Arizona University and earned a degree in Elementary Education, but then she decided to take a “quick” detour. She had an appetite to see the world. The U.S. Army would give her the best shot at that life. She also wanted to continue a family lineage.

"I wanted to try out the Army. I didn’t know if I wanted to be enlisted or an officer, so I enlisted in 2008. I came from an Army family. My father explained that the Army would provide many travel opportunities as a Soldier. My dad and brother are Army. My grandfathers were in as well. One was a Marine and one was an Airman,” she said.

Quickly, Raxter decided to become an officer and sought after a career in logistics.

“I really love to plan and coordinate. I figured this was the best field to join. I love the problem of figuring out how to get supplies from one place to another and the intricate process and the personnel involved along the way,” Raxter said.

According to Raxter, being a logistician allows her to work behind the scenes, which is something that fits her personality. Throughout her career, there have been many occasions where she was able to work on a problem and have the immediate satisfaction of a job well done.

"I feel that loggies are always behind the scenes. I don't need to be in the spotlight, but I feel that I help others get what they need to be successful. Figuring out real-world problems that have real impacts every day is fulfilling,” she said.

Raxter’s career as a logistician began a Camp Humphries, Korea as a supply support activity platoon leader. She moved to Joint Base Lewis McChord where she was a company-level operations officer and executive officer. After her time at JBLM, she attended the career captain's course at Fort Lee before being assigned as the 16th Sustainment Brigade’s support operations officer in Baumholder, Germany. She continued her overseas time by being selected as a company commander for the newly activated 439rd Petroleum Support Company in Grafenwoer, Germany.

“I enjoyed working in my time as a company commander because our company supported the entirety of Europe with petroleum products and resources,” she said.

Her time in command prepped her for future overseas assignments in the Middle East while working for the Defense Logistics Agency -Energy in Kuwait as a petroleum supply officer where she handled petroleum supply operations for Iraq and Syria missions.

Raxter’s immense experience with handling difficult logistical assignments earned her a follow-up assignment supporting CENTCOM as the Bahrain CENTCOM Detachment Commander, 831st Surface Deployment and Distribution Command, where she was handed a large mission that had a lasting historical impact.

“Our unit was responsible for cargo coming in and out of Afghanistan and the ultimate withdrawal from Afghanistan. We were working with all the prime truck vendors to get as much equipment out of the country by truck,” Raxter explained.

Raxter arrived in Okinawa to work in the support operations section before she was picked up to move to Kure, Japan to serve as the SPO of the 10th Support Group Ammunition Depot in Western Japan. The move was an early chance for career development for Raxter.

"I am honored that Col. Holt saw something in me which I know that I am capable of completing. I now have the opportunity to move so much further with my career. I have a very creative personality. I feel empowered to learn and lead people based on their strengths,” Raxter said.

With the majority of her career being overseas while doing well in tough assignments, she feels that her experiences have been a gift.
"My experience overseas has given me a lot of hands-on experience and training. The majority of what we do overseas are real-world missions. CONUS, there is a lot of training to get better. Overseas you need to get it right from the start. There is not much leeway or leniency in how well you complete a mission,” Raxter said.

When Raxter isn’t elbow-deep in solving the Army’s logistical problems around the world, she can be found letting off steam doing anything outdoors. Raxter has earned a reputation for herself in the 10th Support Group as an avid SCUBA diver.

“I love SCUBA, photography, snowboarding, mountain biking, swimming, and just anything else outdoors. Growing up in Arizona, I would find any opportunity to get in the water whether it was a river or a pool, or a lawn sprinkler. Now I try to SCUBA any chance I can,” she said.
Raxter’s long-range plan after retirement is to put her elementary teaching degree to good use.

“I really enjoy working with youth and teaching them science and math. Third grade is my desired grade to teach because it is the highest concentrated year for math and science”.

• Date Taken: 12.01.2023
• Date Posted: 12.05.2023 00:03
• Story ID: 459108
• Location: KURE, HIROSHIMA, JP