Photo By Staff Sgt. Samantha Hircock | A picture of tattoo on Staff Sgt. Jocelyn Crawford, a human resources specialist with...... read more read more
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Tattoos often have deep meaning for those who decide to “get inked” but, among Soldiers, tattoos frequently represent service and a humbling connection to something greater.
Some service members and veterans opt to inscribe the names of the fallen or emblems of their military branches and units.
Others elect to have permanent reminders of experiences and places traveled.
Staff Sgt. Jocelyn Crawford, a human resources specialist with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 334th Brigade Support Battalion, Iowa Army National Guard, has tattoos from different states and countries that pay homage to memories made.
She has a tattoo from Alabama and another featuring an image from the flag of Sicily, which she fell in love with for its significance to the people there.
Nestled beside other tattoos that tell the story of Crawford’s journeys is a woman, an archer — for the “Archer Battalion”. She is inside the disk of a marguerite daisy, the national flower of Denmark. On the archer’s left shoulder, a small Latvian flag for good friends she’d made.
Crawford traveled to Denmark as part of the Military Reserve Exchange Program. The primary purpose of the MREP is to provide National Guard and Reserve participants professional development opportunities with NATO allies.
“I went over [to Denmark] for a leadership course,” said Crawford. “Since the Danish Home Guard is all volunteer, they have to do leadership a little differently. They're purely volunteering their time for the support of their country.”
In Denmark, Crawford learned about incorporating an understanding of personalities and working with people from various cultures.
“I went over there to get cultural experience, and that's what I got,” said Crawford. “I was with Latvian soldiers, Lithuanian, Kenyan, Danish and we had [multiple U.S. service branches].”
Crawford lit up with a smile talking about the “nations night” that was hosted each night, during which service members gave presentations on customs from their home countries - games, music, dances, and so on.
There is a kinship that service members – from anywhere in the world – share, an unspoken understanding and bond. We all have an idea of what it means to lace up boots and accomplish difficult tasks. Yet, for Crawford, the opportunity to learn about differences in culture and leadership was just as valuable.
“Just the different aspects of how different countries approached [accomplishing a mission],” said Crawford. “Either, ‘we need to get it done now,’ or more of a collaborative, ‘okay, how are we going to get it done?’”
She described how people from cultures outside the U.S. have different styles of collaboration and what she learned from the challenges they faced together. In her role as a noncommissioned officer, she hopes to apply the knowledge from the exchange program to help her understand the best way to lead Soldiers.
“Staff Sgt. Crawford is one of those NCOs…if she's going to do it, she's going all in,” said 1st Sgt. Rachael Krier, a combat medic and first sergeant with HHC, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division, Iowa National Guard. “She's going to learn everything she can. She really quickly sought out opportunities for mentorship.”
Crawford began her military career in 2014 as a motor transport operator but gained a military occupational specialty as a combat medic in 2020.
Krier first met Crawford when they both served in the 294th Medical Company (Area Support) based in Washington, Iowa.
Crawford had been a freshly promoted staff sergeant starting out in her new MOS as a combat medic. She landed a role as a training NCO for the 294th MCAS in the Active Guard Reserve (AGR) program. Though she was new to the program, she approached the assignment with a lot of energy. Krier saw her passion and drive immediately.
“She and I had several conversations throughout her time [in the 294th MCAS] of what a leader is expected to do, and how there's an extra expectation from our AGRs to really understand the Army and the leadership model as a whole for the National Guard,” said Krier. “She was so quick to adopt that.”
Crawford and Krier went to Germany together when the 294th MCAS was selected to support a NATO exercise. Next to her tattoo of the archer woman, Crawford has a raven with the national flower of Germany clutched in its beak.
In 2020 Crawford would gain a third military specialty — human resources specialist. Now, Krier continues to watch Crawford grow as a leader.
“She's got a lot of passion for her Soldiers, and she puts one-hundred percent effort into it, no matter what her assignment is,” said Krier. “[She] is somebody who takes the person behind the Soldier very to heart.”
When Crawford speaks about her position now as a retention NCO in the 334th BSB, the first thing she talks about is helping Soldiers.
“I talk with the Soldiers daily. I'm always out making sure that they're happy in their careers. And, if they're not, what opportunities can I give to them to fulfill what they're looking for? Whether it's a different job, different unit, different scope or they need a mentor,” said Crawford. “Even if their civilian life is getting affected, I think: how can I help with that?”
Crawford helps Soldiers connect with Iowa WORKS, a program that provides access to an integrated network of employment services. It's important to her that Soldiers are set up for success even after they leave military service.
“That's where my moral compass is,” said Crawford. “I make it my sole purpose to figure out what is best for [each Soldier].”
Crawford had just returned from Denmark when she was sent with her unit to Camp Ripley, Minnesota for a three-week-long eXportable Combat Training Capabilities exercise, which National Guard brigades undergo to prepare for full-spectrum deployment operations. Already, she’s incorporating what she learned overseas into her training - like giving short personality tests to understand her Soldiers better.
Back home, her husband and three children support Crawford in her military career, though time spent apart is difficult.
No small fish, Crawford knows she wants to experience other cultures and chase opportunities, and she’s grateful to her family for their encouragement.
“I actually grew up in this tiny, tiny village really close to Williamsburg. It's called Conroy, Iowa,” said Crawford. “I’m the first in my family [to join the military].”
When recruiters came to her school in Williamsburg she didn’t know where it would lead her.
“I went home and I told my mom, like, ‘hey, I'm kind of interested in this,’ said Crawford. “I didn't really have a way to pay for college. We didn't as a family really have a way to pay for college. So I thought it sounded like the best option for me.”
In 2017, she earned a degree in criminology from the University of Northern Iowa and plans to continue her journey in the military while pursuing further education and nurturing her passion for learning and growth.
Crawford never imagined a girl from small town Iowa would wear so many hats or have so many diverse experiences - and she isn't finished becoming all she can be.
| Date Taken: | 07.27.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 07.28.2024 09:17 |
| Story ID: | 477175 |
| Location: | CAMP RIPLEY, MINNESOTA, US |
| Hometown: | CONROY, IOWA, US |
| Hometown: | WILLIAMSBURG, IOWA, US |
| Web Views: | 376 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Inked with purpose, Iowa National Guard Soldier honors experiences through tattoos, by SSG Samantha Hircock, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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