Photo By Sgt. Adena McCluskey | Spc. Jaden Hughes, a supply specialist in the Alabama Army National Guard, and Senior...... read more read more
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This month’s Excellent Airman is Senior Airman Jessie Ennis, a Fire Fighter with the 117th Civil Engineering Squadron (CES)!
Ennis joined the Guard in May 2022 and works at the fire station as a drill status guardsman. In the civilian world, Ennis works full-time as an advanced emergency medical technician with his local fire department but plans to become a nurse once he completes college.
“I joined later in life, but I am glad I did because it made the transition of going to basic easier,” said Ennis. “It helped me understand why the MTIs did what they did because you can see the bigger picture and they were just doing their job.”
In the first year and a half of his military career, Ennis was deployed to support U.S. Central Command and went on a temporary duty assignment to Romania.
“I have already traveled a lot, deployed already and it has all been quick,” said Ennis. “Traveling is not something I thought I would ever be able to do.”
He also competed in the Best Warrior Competition this past December against members of the Alabama Army National Guard and the Romanian Army.
“I am a very competitive person and I coach at the same gym as one of my friends who competed in the Best Warrior Competition, and he suggested it to me,” said Ennis. “I also like learning new things and looking in advance at what we had to do was very new to me, such as land navigation, rucking and shooting.”
During the PT test portion of the competition, Ennis noticed a bystander having a medical emergency and relied on his EMT training to save the man until other medical help arrived.
"I was focused on his overall well-being and reverting back to my training,” Ennis said. “I typically try to get the best history of a patient so I can better understand what is going on so I could treat him accordingly.”
Following the incident Ennis was coined by Command Sgt. Maj. John Robert, Command Sgt. Maj. of the Alabama Army National Guard, and awarded him with the Army Commendation Medal at the final ceremony.
Ennis said the majority of his free time is spent working at the fire station as an EMT, running a small business, building his new home and coaching at a gym. He is currently working towards the goal of going from a paramedic to earning his degree in nursing.
“My hobbies are work right now,” said Ennis. “I just want to set myself up for the future to have the things I need and afford the things I want.”
| Date Taken: | 03.07.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 04.23.2025 12:59 |
| Story ID: | 495978 |
| Location: | BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA, US |
| Web Views: | 15 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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