Photo By 1st Lt. Timothy Yao | SAN ANTONIO, TX (January 4, 2017) - 2nd Lt. Sarah Herrero, 329th Movement Control...... read more read more
SAN ANTONIO, Texas (January 7, 2017) -
Each Soldier is unique, and everyone joins for a different reason. Though many are similar, no two stories are the same. Of all the possible scenarios out there, who would’ve thought participating in a visual arts activity would lead to a commission in the military?
2nd Lt. Sarah Herrero, an alumnus of the U.S. Army All-American Marching Band, knew she wanted to join the U.S. Army after being a member in the group’s Color Guard in 2009.
The USAAAMB performs the halftime show for the Army All-American Bowl, and is made up of the nation’s top high school senior band and color guard members.
“My mom served as an Army officer, and I would see her picture on the shelf and think in the back of my mind if that was something I could do,” said Herrero.
But it wasn’t until after participating in the USAAAMB and interacting with the Soldiers, that she decided to pursue the Reserve Officer’s Training Corps while attending Texas Tech University.
“It was my experience here, meeting the Soldiers and seeing where the Army is today, that piqued my interest,” said Herrero.
Herrero first returned as a mentor when she was a cadet in ROTC. Cpt. Scott Kelly, a bass drummer from the first ever USAAAMB, took the initiative to guide younger cadets such as Herrero, and helped shape the cadet alumni program into what it is today.
Mentorship is about shaping those who come after you.
“My hope is that my interaction with them, they can see that whatever they want to do in life, there’s a role for that in the Army if that’s a path they want to choose,” said Herrero.
Her favorite part about coming back is sharing her experience and hoping that something she says or does can inspire the kids to also ask themselves, “Is that something I can do? Is that maybe a place I will fit?”
Even if they choose to take a different route, she hopes they walk away from the week with “the confidence that they can make a difference in this world and impact it in their own way,” said Herrero.
She currently serves as a mobility officer with the 329th Movement Control Team, 330th Transportation Battalion, Fort Bragg, NC. Although not as local as before, Herrero always makes an effort to return and mentor the new generation of All-Americans just as those who guided her.
| Date Taken: | 01.07.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 01.10.2017 02:12 |
| Story ID: | 219799 |
| Location: | SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 107 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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