Photo By Maj. India Hunter | U.S. Army SSG Jazlyn Bailey poses with Transportation Corps senior leaders following...... read more read more
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MARYSVILLE, Wash. — Staff Sgt. Jazlyn Bailey had just returned home from her second deployment to Kuwait, exhausted but satisfied after extending an extra 60 days. She set down her bag and noticed a missed call and text from Chief Warrant Officer 2 Luis Cuevas, one of her first mentors, telling her how proud he was of her.
"I was confused, so I called him back," Bailey recalls. "That was when he told me that I had been named Transportation Corps NCO of the Year and prompted me to look at the CMF88 Facebook page."
Staring at her phone, seeing her name listed alongside the 2024 award recipients, Bailey felt genuine disbelief. "I honestly did not have any expectations regarding this award. I submitted the award packet and went on with the mission, not thinking much about it afterwards. So, to see that my hard work and dedication were recognized made me so happy."
That moment of surprise captures everything about Bailey's approach to her seven-and-a-half-year Army Reserve career: she does the work for its own sake, not for recognition. But others had been watching.
"Staff Sgt. Bailey exemplified the highest standard of the Transportation Corps through unmatched expertise, unwavering commitment and decisive actions," says Lt. Col. Ronnie D. Burton, who supervised Bailey during her recent deployment. "Her leadership and dedication as the Transportation Management Coordinator in the DMC Trans Operations Branch not only sustained operations, they strengthened the very foundation of our logistics force, ensuring mission success."
Burton first noticed Bailey's dedication during operations in Jordan and throughout their time in Kuwait. He recognized her passion for the Transportation Corps, her perfectionist approach to her job, and her eagerness to ask questions and learn. It was Burton who brought the NCO of the Year award to her attention — an award she didn't even know existed.
Bailey's path to this recognition began with a simple decision to follow in her mother's footsteps. Her mother, a retired Air Force master sergeant who worked in air cargo transportation, inspired Bailey's choice when her recruiter presented job specialty options. "I decided to go with transportation simply because I knew my mom did transportation, therefore I felt as though I could too."
But what started as following a familiar path quickly became something deeper. During her first annual training at Fort Dix with the 257th Transportation Battalion, Bailey got hands-on experience as a transportation coordinator. "At that time, I fell in love with the corps," she says. "Once I was deployed for the first time, I was probably the most excited one to start getting to work and learning more about my job."
That enthusiasm translated into consistent excellence through daily decisions that might seem small but built the foundation for extraordinary leadership. Bailey developed systems to manage the complex balance of full-time college, civilian employment, and military responsibilities. She graduated with her bachelor's degree during her first deployment and is currently pursuing her master's degree.
"I would say a lot of checklists!" Bailey laughs when asked about balancing multiple commitments. "I put aside my Sundays to focus on my homework for the week during any active-duty time. I taught myself to keep a to-do list for each day on minimal tasks that need to be completed, and if I had downtime at work to go ahead and study for any test or exam I had coming up."
Her dedication to growth and learning caught the attention of Master Sgt. Sara Torres during Bailey's second deployment with the 364th Expeditionary Sustainment Command. When Bailey expressed interest in learning a new area of transportation, Torres listened and placed her in Air Transportation, helping her get certified in the Joint Operation Planning and Execution System. "I greatly thank her for giving me the opportunity, as this position allowed me to excel and learn a great deal."
These weren't dramatic leadership moments — they were the quiet, consistent actions of a professional who approaches every task with the same standard of excellence. The kind of leader who extends her deployment to help with integration, who treats every assignment as an opportunity to grow, who builds systems to ensure nothing falls through the cracks.
At 25, Bailey admits she's "very hard on myself about my work" and often feels "there is more I should do or have completed." The award provided what she calls "a reality check that I am doing great within my profession, and to stop and pat myself on the back for all that I have accomplished, and not to focus solely on what I have to accomplish."
This recognition means more than personal validation — it represents proof that consistent excellence speaks louder than self-promotion. Bailey's message to fellow soldiers reflects this philosophy: "Find the job you love, not just tolerate and excel at it, and prove anyone who doubts you wrong through your actions, not your words. Your recognition will come at a time you least expect it!"
Bailey's journey from new recruit following her mother's example to U.S. Army Reserve Transportation Corps NCO of the Year demonstrates how sustained excellence in small daily decisions builds the foundation for extraordinary leadership and national recognition. In a military culture that often celebrates dramatic heroics, Bailey represents something equally valuable: the quiet professional whose consistent dedication strengthens the very foundation of the force, one mission at a time.
Sometimes the most profound leadership happens when no one is watching – until suddenly, everyone is.
| Date Taken: | 09.05.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 09.06.2025 14:54 |
| Story ID: | 547411 |
| Location: | MARYSVILLE, WASHINGTON, US |
| Web Views: | 89 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, From surprise to recognition: The quiet professional who became Transportation Corps NCO of the year, by MAJ India Hunter, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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