Photo By Capt. William Cynecki | 1st Lt. Cyntkaille Coleman pictured here (far left) with her father (center-left), her...... read more read more
Subscribe
In celebration of Black History Month and Women’s History Month, Cpt. William Cynecki, commander of the the 220th Public Affairs Detachment out of Southfield, MI, had a conversation with with 1st Lt. Cyntkaille Coleman, commander of the 358th PAD unit located in Salt Lake City, UT.
Q: Can you tell us a little bit about your experience; how as the Army impacted your life so far?
A: My experience thus far has been significantly positive; I have enjoyed my time here and I can tell it changed me as a person overall. I joined during a significantly tough time in my life right after divorce and I joined for more personal reasons versus financial or any other reasons that you know, tend to join. I joined for mental strength and just for that support system; I’ve met so many people and travel so many places and overall become a better person.
Q: What would you suggest to other females who might be starting their career or thinking about joining the Army?
A: I think it is a wonderful opportunity, as a woman specifically as a woman of color in the military. I’ve noticed significant changes in the short time, we have had a few changes in some of our regulations which have made things a lot more conducive for the African American women such as the hair standards. For women in general just being able to be a woman; wear your makeup, wear your earnings or have your nails done. Those little things that still mean a lot to be able to represent yourself as a woman; in such a predominantly male field, those little things give you some sense of peace.
We have significantly progressed, I mean considering how they used to be, compared to how far they’ve come today. That just shows how much the military trying to incorporate everyone’s cultures and backgrounds into their systems
Q: Were there any barriers that you saw throughout your life that, you know, kind of made you who you are?
A: Um yes, as an African American woman, we face barriers every day. Realistically speaking, we do. But you can’t make a diamond without pressure, right? So, we face those challenges and press forward.
Q: It sounds like you joined the army for a bigger purpose, is there anyone else other than yourself that you joined the army for?
A: I have a daughter, a 10-year-old daughter; I want to be a beacon of light for her. I want her to look at me and say, despite everything my mother went thru, she accomplished this, this and this. I want her to look up to me 5, 10, 20 years from now and say, this is my mom and this is my role model. She already looks at me as a hero and I want to uphold that for her.
Q: So, you said you have been in the Army for three years and your daughter is 10 years old, has she looked at you any differently since you started putting on the uniform?
A: So, I’ve started teaching her from the moment I joined, just because it was instilled in me, when I wear this uniform, a lot comes behind it. Regardless of what our rank is, when people see this, people don’t see that (rank). Civilians don’t really know what rank means. They just see this uniform and with this uniform comes with a certain standard of respect. So I started teaching her, when you see me or any other person in uniform, respect them. Know that we (the armed forces) doing our best to make things comfortable for you here at home. No matter your MOS (military occupational specialty), no matter what you are doing to serve the military, every soldier is important, and we are all doing something to help the greater good of America.
Q: She (your daughter) is obviously young, but in 8 years she’s about that age – would you support her joining the army?
A: I absolutely would, I would support her as soon she could (join). I wish I would have joined younger. That is probably my only regret that I didn’t join younger. I am in support of any woman who wants to join the military.
Q: Obviously, it is black history month right now; what does black history month mean to you?
A: To me, it is very significant, black history month for me is a time to celebrate my ancestors — those who have come before me and have paved the way for me. It is the time to keep their memories alive. It is a time of teaching for those younger than myself – my daughter as we mentioned – and let her know the possibilities that our afforded to her due to some of the sacrifices that my grandfather, and his grandfather have made. African Americans have come so far, not just in the military but in the world now. There is so much going on. So many changes that are being made and it is about time to be quite honest. I am a woman, and I do not see color, I have African Americans, Caucasians and Latinos in my family and it’s a rainbow, you know? And in the military, we are taught we are all green. And that is something that I wish society would adopt as well because no matter your color, no matter your cultural background, you all can contribute something to the military. So, for me, black history month is a time for us to stand up and educate the world on who we are, how far we’ve come, and where we plan to go.
Q: Alive or dead, who is someone you look up to or gives you inspiration?
A: I’ll go with alive. And I am going to go with my parents. This has been a very tough time for us in life. My father had been very ill last year and just to be able to witness them come together as a married couple and come together at this time has been very inspirational. I am divorced but I do admire their relationship and them being able to hold that bond in such difficult time, it’s inspirational to see two people who make a commitment together to be able to stand together during difficult situations
Q: Is there anything else that you would like to say?
A: I would like to thank you all for this opportunity. I would like to tell anyone, not just females out there, that if you want to join the military, there are so many different avenues you can take to get into the military and so many different MOS in which you can apart of such great culture. You know the military for me has changed my life and I feel that it will be a great opportunity for anyone out there.
| Date Taken: | 04.01.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 04.01.2022 13:57 |
| Story ID: | 417651 |
| Location: | BLOOMINGTON, MINNESOTA, US |
| Web Views: | 56 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Proud to be Green, by CPT William Cynecki, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
Women's History Month
