Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Mary Katzenberger | Devona L. Klein, a retired first sergeant who last served with Company A, 703rd...... read more read more
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FORT STEWART, Ga. – When 1st Sgt. Devona L. Klein transferred the non-commissioned officer sword to her commander, Nov. 29, she not only relinquished authority for a company; she performed her final act as an Army leader.
Devona Klein, formerly assigned to Company A, 703rd Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, attended her retirement ceremony, Nov. 22, fresh on the heels of her husband’s retirement.
John F. Klein, a former operations sergeant major for 4th IBCT, retired from the Army, Nov. 1.
The dual military couple has retired after a combined service of more than 44 years. At their home in Richmond Hill, Ga., the Kleins reflected on the highlights of their careers, how they’ve negotiated the retirement transition, and what they believe the post-military future holds for their family.
The former senior leaders also dished out their final bits of advice for Army leaders charged with bringing up the current and future generations of soldiers.
As it is for most dual military couples, the Kleins said they met while they were both in the service. Ten years ago, John Klein was serving as a senior drill sergeant when Devona Klein completed drill sergeant school and was assigned to his company.
There wasn’t an immediate spark, the Kleins agreed, smiling.
“He was like my worst enemy—I’m joking,” Devona Klein said through laughter.
“I was the senior drill sergeant in the company so I was more concerned with trying to manage the day-to-day training events,” John Klein said. “[The] thought never even crossed my mind … to ask her out.”
John Klein said when he was promoted during his tenure as the senior drill sergeant he invited the drill sergeants out to celebrate. The retired sergeant major said the group agreed to meet up again at the same place the following week, but that he and Devona were the only two who showed up.
Devona Klein smiled and said being out of their military uniforms helped spark an interest. She said she hadn’t planned on starting a relationship because she was a single parent and had always focused on her daughter. But, Devona Klein said, she decided that if she and John had opportunities to date outside of working seven days a week, they were going to make it happen.
“It wasn’t stressful for us to develop a relationship because we [had] a common thread between us,” John Klein said. “I understood how it was to be a drill sergeant—the hours and challenges … associated with it.”
Devona Klein said she and John dated for two years before tying the knot.
Besides sharing a bond through joint military service, John Klein said the two bonded through a mutual value: family.
“Family is important to both of us,” the retired sergeant major said. “When we’re not at work we’re doing family-type stuff; we travel everywhere [and] every time we’ve got a moment … we plan a vacation with the kids.”
The Kleins said meeting one another was the personal highlight of their military careers. In the professional realm, Devona said, being a drill sergeant was her zenith; John said his was working at the White House.
“Being a drill sergeant was always something I wanted to do,” Devona Klein said. “It taught me different [aspects] about being a non-commissioned officer—being able to multitask and [learning the] standards.”
While John Klein said the Army continually gave him opportunities to excel and experience things never to be forgotten, the retired sergeant major said he is still amazed that he—a high school dropout who joined the Army at 17 years of age—found himself with a top secret security clearance working at the White House only five years later.
The final highlight of their careers, John Klein said, was the chance to deploy to Iraq together with the 4th IBCT from 2009-2010. Even though the Kleins said they lived on separate military installations in the country and had to convoy or fly to see one another, the couple said it was comforting being in a combat zone together.
“Deploying together was, for me … like icing on the cake of a career,” John Klein said.
Choosing to end their careers in the Army and submit their retirement packets after they returned from the deployment, the Kleins said, was a plan that had been three years in the making. The biggest motivator for the decision, the couple said, was family.
John Klein said his concern for a continued family cohesiveness resulted in his decision not to enter into the running for command sergeant major positions several years ago. The retired sergeant major said he learned that command sergeant majors are stationed based on the Army’s needs, and that those needs might not always jive with family needs—especially if a spouse is also in the military.
“Professionally I reached a point where I wasn’t going to do anything really different anymore; it’s fine, you make your choices,” John Klein said. “It’s like I [told] my soldiers: you may want to stay in the Army until you’re 65 and you can’t get out of bed in the morning, but that’s just not reality. You can’t wear the uniform forever. The best you can do is do the best you can while you’re in and if you can, continue to serve Soldiers and families in another capacity [after you retire].”
Devona Klein said she was satisfied with her career as well, having served as a drill sergeant and a first sergeant. She said she is ready to experience things that she missed with her family.
“I got to a point where I’ve always been putting my career first,” the retired first sergeant said. “Just like any other couple we had our difficulties during our tenure in the military, but I guess it was to that point that … [I’ve] done everything [I could] for the Army; it’s time to change … [my] plan and focus on family.”
The Kleins said the most difficult part of transitioning from their careers was knowing when it was the right time to retire. After that, the couple said, it was all about planning the exit strategy.
For starters, the Kleins said, when each of them came on orders for Fort Stewart, they decided it would be the duty station they would retire from.
The post is centrally located to their families, so the surrounding community made for an ideal retirement spot, Devona Klein said. Once they picked the location, the retired first sergeant added, the couple started saving money.
“It’s … important to start building that financial cushion that all the advisors … talk about,” John Klein said. “It’s [also] good to build up your vacation time so you have as much transition [time] as you can.”
Devona Klein said she hasn’t cleared yet but already has a new career azimuth set. The retired first sergeant said she plans on earning her realtor license, or she may decide to work with high school students either in a Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps program or within the juvenile justice system.
John Klein, who has had his employment feelers out a month longer, said he has been interviewed a few times and just landed a job working on post as a Department of the Army civilian.
“A lot of the civilian companies out there [are] anxious to hire veterans, but not coming in [at the] senior management level; you don’t have experience in their organizations,” Klein said. “I would say … senior leaders … have to be willing to come in at a lower level—which may not be the best financial decision. They have to be prepared to deal with … that.”
Devona Klein said you really can’t beat the benefits and the experience the Army provides in preparing Soldiers for post-military careers.
“With the … experience that you’re getting—because you’re all over the world, you’re meeting different people, you’re learning different cultures—that background … puts us ahead … in the civilian world,” the retired first sergeant said. “But the transition is kind of hard.”
The couple said once they have worked for ten more years, and once their two children are through college, they plan on moving to an island in the Caribbean and retiring permanently.
As the sun sets on their careers, the Kleins said they have hope for the Army’s leaders—current and future—as the organization attempts to morph into its pre-9/11 state.
“It’s up to the senior leaders above that were already senior and … lived through what right looked like before the war to influence and mentor the ones that … only know … deploy [and] reset, deploy [and] reset,” John Klein said. “They play a critical role in getting the Army back on the glidepath for success in the standards and discipline realm.”
Devona Kleins’ advice to leaders is to set themselves up for success by obtaining college degrees before they leave the Army.
“My thing is, when you get out of the military [after serving] 20 years, what [have you done to show for it],” the retired first sergeant said. “I would say take advantage of everything the Army has to offer.”
“Use it or lose it,” Devona Klein concluded.
| Date Taken: | 12.09.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 12.10.2011 16:54 |
| Story ID: | 81182 |
| Location: | FORT STEWART, GEORGIA, US |
| Web Views: | 717 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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