FORT HOOD, Texas - The sun had barely risen over Fort Hood when the mobile kitchen trailer (MKT) came alive with the familiar rhythm of trays clattering, burners warming and spices hitting hot steel with a sizzle. Moving through the motion stood Chief Warrant Officer 2 Judy Woolsey, food advisor, 36th Engineer Brigade, her presence steady and unforced. Her steps are measured, her gestures deliberate and the young culinary specialists around her instinctively fall into rhythm, adjusting their pace to match her leadership.
“I tell them (Soldiers) all the time, ‘The kitchen isn’t just where you cook,’” Woolsey said. “‘It’s where you learn who you are as a Soldier.’"
Moments like this explain why she stands out as one of the Great People at the Great Place.
For Woolsey, the kitchen is more than a workplace, it is a proving ground. One of her duties is preparing Soldiers for the MKT cook-off, an event that often begins with skepticism. Many arrive convinced the assignment is trivial, but Woolsey knows how quickly perceptions shift.
“They show up thinking, ‘This is dumb, why am I here?’” Woolsey said with a small smile. “Then the day unfolds, and they realize it’s about professionalism, confidence, teamwork and everything that builds a Soldier.”
She hands out presentation scripts, demonstrates technical skills like tempering chocolate for ganache and challenges Soldiers to transform standard rations into dishes they never imagined possible in the field. By the end, the reluctance fades.
“When they come up to me and say, ‘Chief, I actually loved this,’ that’s the win,” Woolsey said. “I don’t care if we take first place. I care that they walk away proud.”
Her approach developed in environments where details matter, such as Pentagon kitchens, the enlisted aide program and high-level food operations that support senior leaders. Those experiences taught her how easily food service gets overlooked until the mission depends on it.
“People forget about the DFAC (dining facility) until something goes wrong. When it shuts down or equipment fails, suddenly it’s the most important thing in the Army that day,” Woolsey explained.
That’s when commanders seek out the food warrant, an area she excels at.
“I get to solve problems people don’t think about,” Woolsey said. “That’s why I love this job.”
Her insistence on being a Soldier first shapes everything she does. Whether she is coaching a private on knife skills or briefing a field-grade officer, the standard remains the same.
“It doesn’t matter where I’m standing,” Woolsey said. “I’m a Soldier among Soldiers. That mindset keeps me grounded.”
Her time working near senior leaders such as retired Gens. Joseph M. Martin, Mark Milley and James C. McConville, as well as former Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis influenced her leadership style.
“Being around leaders at that level taught me that solutions don’t need to be complicated,” Woolsey said. “Most of the time, simple works.”
Her path to the Army began long before arriving at Fort Hood. She enlisted in the Navy in 1999 during a period of personal hardship and instability.
“I was homeless and needed a way forward,” Woolsey said. “I walked into the recruiter’s office and told them I would take anything and asked ‘When can I leave?’”
Woolsey served as a boatswain’s mate, deployed multiple times and learned the structure and expectations of service. Motherhood and the realities of wartime deployment eventually led her to leave the Navy, but her sense of duty never fully faded. During her break in service, she earned her bachelor’s degree, worked in hospital and oncology pharmacies, pursued nursing and raised her children. Life changes brought her back to the military, this time in the Army uniform.
“I came back because service is part of who I am,” Woolsey said. “That never went away.”
Returning during a new era made her question long-standing habits, especially those that caused burnout. She often asks leaders to reexamine inherited traditions.
“If the Navy and Pentagon aren’t starting at 0300, why are we?” Woolsey said. “Some things just keep going because no one ever stopped to ask why.”
A piece of guidance from Mattis stays with her.
“He told me, ‘One day you won’t have the rank. You’ll just be Judy again,’” Woolsey said. “‘Remember who you are without the uniform.’”
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