Photo By Lt. Col. Bradford Leighton | Sgt. 1st Class Sean Fortune and his 2-year-old daughter, Savannah, laugh as he holds...... read more read more
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When Sean Fortune was a private in the Illinois Army National Guard’s “Mighty” 1344th Transportation Company, he introduced himself to his brand-new platoon leader as his “driver.”
“He said, ‘Stick with me and you’ll make captain before you know it. I can’t guarantee major, but you’ll make captain,’” said the platoon leader, now colonel, Shawn Nokes – the commander of the 129th Regiment (Regional Training Institute). That private didn’t do so badly either.
A combat deployment and countless 88M (motor vehicle operator) students later, Sgt. 1st Class Sean Fortune is retiring as a senior instructor with the 1st Battalion of the 129th Regiment (RTI) after more than 23 years of military service. As a civilian, he is a St. Louis (Mo.) Police Department Officer and evidence technician.
“My first impression was this guy is as big of a wise ass as me,” said Nokes during Fortune’s April 26 retirement ceremony in the Illinois Military Academy on Camp Lincoln in Springfield . “He had an immediate impact on me. And he has since navigated a military career that has been spectacular. I’m bummed that he decided to retire. I wanted him to be a first sergeant. But he’s done his time and now he’ll have plenty of time with his family.”
But not quite yet. Fortune still has one more 88M course to teach before he officially retires on May 17. Fortune has consistently ranked among the top instructors in the unit.
Nokes presented Fortune with the Meritorious Service Medal for his more than 23 years of dedicated and loyal service to his nation adding to decorations that include the Purple Heart, the Army Commendation Medal, the Iraqi Campaign Medal, the Parachutist Badge, and the Combat Action Badge. He deployed to Iraq in 2004 with the “Rolling Thunder” – the 1644th Transportation Co. Fortune has passed on lessons learned from that deployment and several years as a noncommissioned officer to hundreds of new Army motor vehicle operators.
Fortune’s spouse, Stefanie, said that she would not mind having her husband at home more to help her manage their young family. Their daughter Savannah, 2, wore a blue dress to match mom’s and their 6-year-old son, Maverick, was in a military uniform matching dad.
Savannah took to the stage during the ceremony when Stefanie Fortune was presented with a Certificate of Appreciation from Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George. She took a seat among the “official party” chairs, at one point showing a flower to her father. Through most presentations, Savannah examined the new toy her father gave her from her seat on stage. Both parents said that their daughter has a lot of energy.
Fortune’s speech was brief. He thanked the Soldiers, retirees, and family who traveled to honor his decades of service and then ended his remarks with “Released!” He was known to release Soldiers at the end of the duty day when he was placed in charge – sometimes with his commander’s or first sergeant’s knowledge.
| Date Taken: | 05.01.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 05.01.2025 19:52 |
| Story ID: | 496768 |
| Location: | SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS, US |
| Hometown: | ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, US |
| Web Views: | 99 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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