Photo By Erin Sherwood | Jack Brooks, 2024 winner of the John J. Dinnien Senior Civilian Adjutant General (AG)...... read more read more
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FORT KNOX, Ky. – For Jack Brooks, leadership is about service, both in and out of uniform.
Brooks, a retired First Sergeant, now serves as a Department of the Army Civilian at the U.S. Army Human Resources Command as an Initial Entry Training Team Chief.
He has a passion for teamwork and enjoys helping others grow.
“I want my team to be successful,” Brooks said. “Helping them reach their goals, that’s what keeps me going.”
With a career spanning over three decades, Brooks is incredibly thankful for the experiences he has had serving in the Army and is humbled to be the recipient of the 2024 John J. Dinnien Senior Civilian Adjutant General Corps of the Year award.
The prestigious award is a recognition presented annually by the AG Corps Regimental Association that honors a senior civilian employee who has made outstanding contributions to military personnel management, directly supporting the Army's mission and the well-being of Soldiers and their Families.
He is quick to give credit to his team, emphasizing it is the team that should be recognized for excellence.
“I’m the face of the team, but we all work together to make things happen,” Brooks said. “This award is as much their success as it is mine.”
Brooks’ team, which handles about 60,000 Soldier assignments annually, strives to ensure Soldiers are never held over at a training base after initial entry training.
“We don't want any spouse, mother, father or sibling to not be able to spend some time with their Soldier before they go to their first unit of assignment,” Brooks said.
The work can be intensive at times requiring him and his team to work long hours, but it has always felt rewarding even though he never imagined he would work in Army human resources.
“I’m a chemical guy who does human resources work,” he jokes modestly. “Although I’ve been doing human resources now for about as long as I did chemical.”
As a teenager, Brooks did not initially consider joining the Army. His father was an Army Special Forces Soldier, but they did not talk much about the military, he said.
After high school, the Fayetteville, North Carolina, native began working. At 19 years old, Brooks was laying water lines and making good money. Still, he questioned his future.
“The job was very physically demanding, and many of my older coworkers were all beaten up,” he said. “One day, I was sitting in a ditch in the sun, reflecting a little, and I realized that doing that type of work didn’t hold much of a future for me. That made me rethink my career path.”
Brooks went to talk to a recruiter. He was initially interested in getting into engineering, but the recruiter sat him down and showed him a video of chemists in lab coats.
“That sparked my interest, and I joined the Army to be a Chemical Operations Specialist,” he said.
Brooks’ father was supportive of his own decision to follow in his footsteps and become a Soldier.
“My father was a good man, a good role model,” he said. “One piece of advice he passed on to me before I began my Army career, he said ‘you're always going to be an infantryman. Remember that and you will be successful at anything you do in the Army.’”
Brooks’ initial plans were to serve his three-year contract and get out to attend college, but life had other plans in store. He got married and had started a Family during his first enlistment.
“When the time for reenlistment came up, it was a decision that I made based on my Family,” he said. “Throughout my career, every decision that I made was about my Family. I promised them that I would take care of them.”
His 20-year career as a Soldier took Brooks to many places, but he first came to HRC to serve in a position as the Chemical Branch Sergeant Major and Senior Professional Development Non-Commissioned Officer (PDNCO) in 2013.
After retiring in 2015, Brooks wanted to continue his Army service as a civilian employee. He found his way back to HRC in 2017 and has been working for the organization ever since.
Brooks would love the chance to lead at the next level.
“I'd like to be a deputy or Program Manager somewhere,” he said. “I still feel young in this, like there’s more ahead for me.”
He hopes the same for all of his team members and is passionate about mentoring others to achieve their career goals.
“I always tell my team, I don’t want you working for me longer than about two years,” Brooks said. “I want you to be successful and I want you to get promoted into other positions where you get your own opportunities to lead in the future.”
Although Brooks’ success is something he has worked hard to attain, he also attributes it to being open to new possibilities. A lifelong learner, he is always ready for a new challenge.
“Don't be afraid to take a harder job or those types of things that set you aside from your peers, don't be afraid to do additional training, don’t be afraid to network with other people,” he said. “I've taken those opportunities, and it's helped me out a lot. I think that's the key to being successful is to be a sponge, don't get complacent.”
He credits his wife, an Army veteran as well, and Family for helping him maintain a positive outlook on life and work.
“I’m always talking to my Family. My wife works at HRC also and she knows some of the challenges we go through. She was a Soldier too, so she understands,” Brooks said.
Brooks speaks regularly with his adult sons, the youngest of who is attending the University of Kentucky.
He is also a proud a dog dad. “I have three little baby Shih Tzus and are they are my everything,” he said with a laugh.
“But really, I couldn’t ask for a better support system,” Brooks said. “I am truly blessed and grateful for my Family, and the opportunities I’ve been afforded throughout my career.”
| Date Taken: | 06.13.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 06.13.2025 14:23 |
| Story ID: | 500585 |
| Location: | US |
| Hometown: | EAST FAYETTEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 30 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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