Photo By Staff Sgt. Brandon Little | Capt. Barbara Burger (left), commander of Company C, 3rd Battalion, 158th Aviation...... read more read more
By Sgt. 1st Class Chris Seaton
Task Force XII Public Affairs Office, Multi-National Division-Baghdad
CAMP TAJI, Iraq – June 20 was a special day for 1st Sgt. Anthony Farinosi. A quick change of responsibility ceremony on a flight line in the middle of a combat zone marked the first day of his tenure as a full-fledged, diamond-wearing first sergeant.
His new job with Company C, 3rd Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment, isn't his first time filling the role as a company's top enlisted Soldier. During Operation Iraqi Freedom II, Farinosi, a native of Irvine, Calif., held the position in AVIM Company, 412th Aviation Support Battalion, when he was a Sgt. First Class.
It was an experience, he said, that he has yearned for ever since.
"My best time in the Army has been when I worked as a first sergeant," Farinosi said. "I had 235 Soldiers, who were just like my kids. If I can influence one kid, or keep him on the right track, then I feel like I was successful."
"First sergeant" is one of several titles Farinosi is proud of. Among other notables, Farinosi is "Dad" to two teenage boys ... but the title he's proudest of, and the one that he says fits all areas of his life, is that of "Coach."
Since his arrival to Germany in 2003, Farinosi has been coaching for a German community soccer club: Sportverein Oberreichenbach. The club has several teams, ranging from the children's teams to the Alte Herren (Old Men) team. Farinosi's team now competes in the 17- to 18-year-old brackets.
"Coaching is amazing because of the influence you can have on a kid," he said. "For a lot of them, the happiest time of their day is when they're playing soccer. They're training hard, learning and getting better. It's a great thing to be around."
During his time as a coach, three of the athletes he's helped mentor have been recruited to play at the division-one level – the highest in a country whose national sport is soccer. One of his players has even played for the German national team for his age group.
Farinosi said the cultural differences are no longer an issue as the kids have gotten older and have gotten used to him and his sons, who also play for the club.
"The German kids have really accepted us," he said. "I see them around town and they smile and they get excited to see me because I take the time to work with them.
"That makes me feel really good," he added. "I don't have all the answers, but I can show them what they're doing wrong and help them find the right way to do it."
His new commander, Capt. Barbara Burger, who also worked with him in the 412th ASB, said his ability to mentor and motivate transcends the soccer field.
"He teaches his Soldiers what he expects of them and then lets them make their own decisions," she said.
Farinosi said the jobs go hand in hand, and that often times, doing one helps him with the other.
"Coaching helps with patience, and the first sergeant job teaches me a lot of structure that I can apply toward coaching," he said. "As the kids on my team get older, they like to joke around and get a little lippy sometimes – just like Soldiers. Some of my Soldiers are only a couple of years older than the kids on my team."
Because he's been deployed for nearly a year, Farinosi has missed a full season of soccer. He'll be back in Germany in time for one more season before it's time to leave Europe. Ultimately though, he said he wants to return to Germany some day with a new title – "Teacher."
"I'm going to get my teaching certificate and become a teacher and coach, hopefully at a Department of Defense school in Germany," said Farinosi. "My dad always told me that if you always do the right thing, you never have to worry about things going wrong. My goal has always been to take care of people – no matter who they are."
| Date Taken: | 06.21.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 06.21.2008 06:54 |
| Story ID: | 20716 |
| Location: | TAJI, IQ |
| Web Views: | 97 |
| Downloads: | 85 |
This work, New 1st Sgt. applies leadership lessons on the battlefield, soccer field, by SGM Chris Seaton, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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