LAS VEGAS – The 17th Sustainment Brigade made another historic milestone by adding two female Soldiers to key leadership positions for the Special Troops Battalion (STB) in Feb. 2021.
This comes on the cusp of Women’s History Month, which is an annual observance in the month of March to highlight the significant contributions women have made in our contemporary history.
Lt. Col. Stacy Carter assumed command of the STB on Saturday, Feb. 6, 2021 at the Las Vegas Readiness Center. She is the first woman to occupy this position within the 17th.
Carter was born in Bowling Green, OH. She began her military career in 1999 with the Tennessee Army National Guard and served with the 3/278th Armored Cavalry Regiment. In 2004, she commissioned into the Military Intelligence Corps and in the same year received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Spanish marketing. She deployed to Stuttgart, Germany in 2006, with the United States European Command then soon after deployed to Camp Bucca, Iraq, returning in 2008.
“Feel the fear and do it anyway,” Carter said. “Never let fear stop you from accomplishing your goals.”
Later that year, Carter took command of the 117th Regional Training Institute in Smyrna, TN and in 2010 joined the 17th SB to become the first Special Troops Battalion Headquarter Company Commander. She has served in various leadership roles within the Nevada Army National Guard before being assigned to lead 17th’s STB.
“I’ve never looked back and had regrets,” Carter said. “I always gave a hundred percent (in every position) and I left knowing the position was better than when I started.”
Reflecting back through her career, Carter didn’t think about the unique challenges she faced as a woman in the Army, but rather focused on the standards and her mission.
“I’ve always focused on what I need to do as a Soldier to meet the standards,” Carter said. “I would say be true to yourself and don’t allow others to stifle your success. Someone once told me when I was a young lieutenant that a good attitude will take you far in life, and I still remember that to this day.”
Lt. Col. Ashley Philbin assumed leadership as the Support Operations Officer with the brigade on Feb. 19 during drill. She is the first woman to occupy this position within the unit.
Philbin was born in Binghamton, NY. She studied criminal justice with a focus in forensics at Gannon University in the Keystone State and graduated with her bachelors in May 2005. Gannon is a private Catholic university out of Erie, PA with approximately 46,000 alumni. She is currently a MBA candidate at Penn State University with a concentration in strategic leadership.
Philbin has over 15 years of military service. She spent time as an Explosives Ordnance Officer with the 731st Explosives Ordnance Disposal Company and deployed to Afghanistan in 2013. After her stint in Fort Stewart, GA., she transferred to the Arizona National Guard and worked in battalion staff planning operations during Steppe Eagle Koktem at Illisky Training Center, Kazakhstan in 2017.
“There are women leaders everywhere we look,” Philbin said. “We all need to work together, continue to persevere, and be a strong voice for those who have no voice.”
Despite the many challenges facing Soldiers in the Army today, Philbin is a strong supporter of hard work and building futures together.
“You are the architect of your own future – breakdown those barriers and stereotypes,” Philbin said. “Don’t let anyone stop you from achieving what you want to accomplish in life.”
Date Taken: | 03.01.2021 |
Date Posted: | 03.01.2021 17:37 |
Story ID: | 390236 |
Location: | LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, US |
Web Views: | 638 |
Downloads: | 2 |
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