Photo By Capt. Tyler Rickenbach | U.S. Army 1st Lt. Marshall Barrett from Charlie Company, 1-111th Aviation Regiment,...... read more read more
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Agadir, MOROCCO — While walking through the University of North Georgia campus, Marshall Barrett saw the Army’s Blackhawk helicopters and immediately wanted to know more.
Before Barrett was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Army, he was enlisted in the Georgia National Guard as a cannon crew member. After graduating from Advanced Individual Training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, Barrett returned to Georgia to continue his college education.
He, and several other students were given rides, and it was then - as a freshman - he knew he wanted to be a pilot.
Enrolling in the Reserve Officers Training Corp was one of many first steps to becoming a pilot.
Students are able to enroll in ROTC as a Simultaneous Membership Program cadets, meaning they can continue to serve in the National Guard while attending school developing leadership skills through the ROTC program.
Barrett wasn’t the top of his class at the University of North Georgia’s ROTC program, however, with hard work, the support of close friends and connections he had made, he was able to make his way into the U.S. Army’s Aviation program after commissioning as a second lieutenant in December 2019.
“Graduating from flight school was the proudest I’ve ever felt,” Barrett said. Diligence and dedication are what allowed Barrett to excel in the aviation program.
One of life’s many great lessons taught him - along with all of us - is that hard work will eventually pay off, but you just can’t assume everything will work on your behalf as soon as you do something.
Barrett, now a 1st Lt., currently oversees over 60 soldiers as a platoon leader in Charlie Company, 1-111th Aviation Regiment, Georgia National Guard. He and his platoon are currently overseas supporting African Lion 2023, U.S. Africa Command's largest, premier annual exercise. African Lion bolsters interoperability among eighteen partner nations and supports U.S. military strategic readiness to respond to crises and contingencies in Africa and around the world.
“The best part of the job is the people I work with. Everyone is incredibly professional while also being fun and enjoyable to be around.”
As a platoon leader, he must be able to lead from the front and fly alongside those he serves.
“The best part of flying is seeing the world from a unique perspective,” said Barrett when asked what he loves about being a pilot.
| Date Taken: | 02.06.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 06.14.2023 20:43 |
| Story ID: | 446665 |
| Location: | AGADIR, MA |
| Hometown: | MACON, GEORGIA, US |
| Web Views: | 139 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, 1st Lt. Marshall Barrett: Leading from the front and flying alongside those he serves, by CPT Tyler Rickenbach, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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