Courtesy Photo | Maj. Gen. Kimberly M. Colloton promotes Scotty Autin to the rank of colonel with the...... read more read more
BRUNSSUM, Netherlands – Maj. Gen. Kimberly M. Colloton, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers deputy commanding general for military and international operations, promoted a U.S. Army engineer to the rank of colonel at the NATO headquarters here not far from where some of the fiercest battles of World War I and World War II were fought.
The father, wife and three children of Col. Scotty Autin assisted Colloton with the ceremony by placing the new rank insignia boards on Autin’s uniform.
Autin is assigned as the J3 Force Protection branch chief at Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum. After his promotion Autin reflected on his time in the military and what he would say to a young person thinking about joining the Army.
“My advice to young people considering a career in the Army would be that it's okay not to know what you want to do,” said Autin. “It's okay to be unsure about the future.
“I left my hometown in 1998, attended West Point looking for something exciting for a few years and maybe get a little bit of leadership experience and then be ready to transition either to the corporate side or something else, but what I found was when I got in, I enjoyed the excitement.
“I enjoyed the chance to solve new and complex problems; do things that have a national impact, things where you can immediately see the impact of your work,” he said.
Autin said his most rewarding experiences in the Army were those that gave him the opportunity to “directly respond immediately to help people.”
“The military has given me a handful of those opportunities where I could see my work had an immediate impact,” said Autin. “I deployed as part of a task force during Hurricane Katrina helping people in Louisiana and Mississippi in 2005.
“I conducted a humanitarian assistance mission where we built schools in Thailand in 2008, so really kind of working along with the Thai military and seeing the kids that got a chance to use those buildings when we were done.
“I deployed to Iraq in 2017 to support and rehabilitate the Mosul dam, knowing that had a direct impact on both the country and the people.
“And probably the most recent one was I deployed to Puerto Rico around 2018 to help restore the power grid after Hurricane Maria,” said Autin. “So those have been the best experiences that I've had in my military career.”
Autin said his best tour in the Army was very different than the experiences he found personally rewarding.
“I had a chance to serve as the battalion commander of the 37th Brigade Engineer Battalion, part of the 2nd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division, and it was really just a deep honor to serve in such a historic unit with such a storied past, and also to work with some really remarkable leaders and paratroopers in that unit,” said Autin. “Just a great, great privilege, honor and responsibility to be in charge of something so historic. It's the kind of memory I'll share with my grandkids.”
Autin said one aspect of military service that keeps him motivated is to hear about and see the success of junior officers and Soldiers he served with throughout his career.
“For me it's something really special to work in an organization that focuses so heavily on investing in our Soldiers and seeing them get excited about something and then succeeding,” said Autin. “Whether it's an Army professional military education, a tough military school like ranger, sapper, jump master or even expanding their horizons by becoming a warrant officer or going to officer candidate school, I am so proud of our Soldiers for investing their time and effort into becoming the leaders that are the future of our Army.”
Autin said he considers it a privilege to have the opportunity to continue service both in the U.S. Army and alongside our NATO allies.
“The time flies by but Army service has really afforded me a lifetime of experiences, and I've enjoyed every minute of it,” said Autin. “Probably most of all I really enjoyed the great group of people that are in the military.
“I had a leader once that said the Army is not made of people, it is people; and I think that speaks to what really has kept me serving and kept me excited about serving.
“Likewise, the Army's really afforded me a great chance to travel the world,” he said. “We've lived in other countries, and it's given a great quality of life for me and my family.
“So, get in there, take your time, it’s okay not knowing what you want to do but keep those things in mind that keep you excited and keep you serving.”
| Date Taken: | 04.25.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 04.25.2024 03:53 |
| Story ID: | 469473 |
| Location: | BRUNSSUM, NL |
| Web Views: | 56 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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