Spreading her wings, the Army’s newest “full-bird” colonel recently pinned on new silver eagles.
Jennifer S. Pampuch Borden, U.S. Army Financial Management Command Reserve Component senior advisor and U.S. Army Reserve Medical Command assistant chief of staff for resource management, was promoted to the rank of U.S. Army colonel during a special ceremony at the Maj. Gen. Emmett J. Bean Federal Center in Indianapolis, Jan. 9.
“Today, we recognize a promotion, but more importantly, a career of more than 26 years of service and leadership,” said Col. Michelle M. Williams, USAFMCOM commander, who presided over the ceremony. “This promotion is not about longevity, but rather about earned trust, proven judgement and sustained excellence.”
Raised in Evansville, Indiana, by her parents, David and Anne Pampuch, Pampuch Borden has a family history she said made her comfortable with the idea of military service from a young age.
“I have a few extended family members, uncles and great uncles, that were in the military, so military service seemed like a normal option,” she recalled. “My father’s father, Walter, and his brother, Ed, both served as radiomen in the Army Air Corps during World War II.
“My mother’s father, Bob, also served as a [judge advocate general] officer in the Army Reserve until he retired as a colonel,” she added.
Perhaps one of her strongest military memories as a child came from her Uncle Joe, who would send her dad cases of meals ready to eat in the early 1990s.
“I would eat portions of them as an afternoon snack through the end of elementary school and into middle school,” Pampuch Borden recalled. “My favorite was the freeze-dried fruit, and I joke that the MREs must have been laced with something to increase retention.”
However, vacuum-sealed rations weren’t the only major influence on young “Jennie’s” life, as she said she was heavily influenced early on by her teachers.
She specifically called out her middle school English teacher Lisa Hale and high school teachers Glenn Ballard and Mike Kelley, who she said put an emphasis on critical thinking, writing and discipline.
That focus coupled well with her love of the Girl Scouts, which she said developed her natural curiosity and desire for teamwork.
Ultimately, all those early influences, along with the promise of free education, led her to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and commissioned into the U.S. Army’s Military Police branch.
“Attending USMA taught me the meaning of duty and honor and gave me the foundation for how to be a Soldier and officer,” Pampuch Borden said in reflection. “Life, especially the Army, is a team sport; I showed up and put in the work, but I did not do it alone.”
After her commissioning, a then-2nd Lt. Pampuch entered active service with the 97th Military Police Battalion at Fort Riley, Kansas, and then deployed to Iraq in support of the Police Transition Team mission.
After completing her Regular Army service, she transitioned to the Indiana Army National Guard, where she served in various positions as a Military Police Officer including division deputy provost marshal, plans officer, protection officer, operations officer, and company commander. She also supported the Indiana Guard full time as a specialty branch recruiter, state provost marshal, and mobilizations plans officer.
Pampuch Borden then transitioned to the Army Reserve and subsequently into the Army’s Finance branch, where she served in various finance and comptroller leadership positions including resource management chief, financial management support unit commander, special troops battalion commander, and finance support center deputy director.
When asked what had a profound impact on her military career, the colonel remarked about her command time.
“Each time I have been a commander, it shaped me and taught me new things,” she recollected.
Williams said what she values most in Pampuch Borden’s leadership is her ability to take all the things she learned and apply them across the Army.
“Colonel Pampuch Borden is one of the few finance officers who has served in all three components, so she really understands how the Army works from those different perspectives,” remarked Williams to a room packed with Pampuch Borden’s coworkers, family and friends. “On top of that, she’s calm, consistent and mission focused.
“Most importantly, she understands both systems and people, which is a rare combination.”
Speaking during the ceremony to many of those people who helped her achieve success, Pampuch Borden took the opportunity to thank them.
“Thank you to everyone who helped me, pushed me, encouraged me, listened to me, and was any sort of influence on me,” the colonel concluded. “I wouldn’t be here without you, and I hope that I have and continue to live a life where you know I appreciate you.”
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USAFMCOM delivers precision enterprise-wide financial operations to integrate, synchronize and sustain the battlefield through the Joint Strategic Support Area. The two-star command also directly supports the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Financial Management and Comptroller in their role as the principal advisor on all matters related to financial management and comptrollership.
AR-MEDCOM provides medical, dental, blood donor and veterinary services, as well as the medical professionals needed for Soldier readiness processing and troop medical clinic operations at mobilization force generation installations located throughout the United States.
| Date Taken: |
01.13.2026 |
| Date Posted: |
01.13.2026 18:49 |
| Story ID: |
556173 |
| Location: |
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, US |
| Hometown: |
EVANSVILLE, INDIANA, US |
| Web Views: |
19 |
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