Photo By Carey Phillips | During her retirement ceremony, Army Reserves Master Sgt. Samantha Goldenstein is...... read more read more
More than 21 years ago, Samantha Goldenstein enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserves as a Radiology Technologist, 68P. She was 21, working and going to school full time and needed to make a change, which she found with the Reserves and recently retired as a Master Sergeant.
Reflecting on her reasons for enlisting, Goldenstein said, “I was burnt out, and in a rut. The Army was a good option to give me a better job to help me get through school and it would also help me pay for school.”
But there was more to it than that. She was following in the footsteps of her dad, who was active duty Army for a few years, and her sister, who served in the Reserves. Their positive influence inspired her to enlist.
Ultimately though, she wanted to help Soldiers. A year after the tragic events of 9/11, Goldenstein began her Reservist career, spending eight of her 21 years mobilized or deployed on active duty.
While serving as a radiology technologist at her first duty station at the 325th Combat Support Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri, she deployed to Iraq and Kuwait in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, respectively.
As her career progressed, she grew as a leader and mentor. Goldenstein became the Adaptive Sports Noncommissioned Officer in Charge and then a Platoon Sergeant for the Warrior in Transition Battalion at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas. Then, she advanced to the First Sergeant for the 1st Battalion 355th Regiment in Round Rock, Texas. Moving out of Texas, Goldenstein became the Operations NCOIC for the 1st Battalion 321st Regiment at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. She finished her career as the Operations NCOIC for the 2nd Battalion 319th Regiment in Dublin, Virginia.
“My personal development as a leader gave me the opportunity to guide and mentor Soldiers,” Goldenstein said. “I had many good and bad lessons learned from the Army, but each helped shape me into the leader I am now. I hope it developed me into an effective leader and that I have passed down these tools to my Soldiers.”
Throughout her career, she was recognized for her leadership and performance. She was named the Noncommissioned Officer of the Year, not once, but twice – in 2005 and again in 2007. Additionally, she was selected as an alternate for the International Military Sports Council Military World Summer Games cycling team in 2019.
With a focus on professional development, Goldenstein earned two Additional Skill Identifiers. One as a Master Fitness Trainer and as the second as a Master Resiliency Trainer Warfighter Transition Brigade Cadre. She completed several schools including–Combat Lifesaver, Combatives Level 1, Equal Opportunity Leader, Unit Prevention Leader and the Company Commander/First Sergeant Course.
As Goldenstein entered the final year of her reservist career, she joined the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine as an Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education as a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow.
“USARIEM allowed me to bridge my military and civilian career paths and has given me the opportunity to work on research that focuses on Soldiers health, specifically to help close the gap in women’s health research,” she explained. “My research is focused on women’s health, and I am passionate about helping Soldiers.”
When asked about her plans following her retirement from the Reserves, she said, “Focus on the next chapter of my career. While my time as a Soldier has come to an end, I’m starting a new career as a researcher and I look forward to continue working with Soldiers in a different capacity.”
To the next generation of Soldiers, she offered this bit of advice, “Use your voice. But first, you need to learn how to use your voice effectively. Once you do, use it to advocate for your Soldiers and your career. Be the NCO that Soldiers can trust. Also, don’t be afraid to stand up and speak your mind even when your opinion may be different from everyone in the room. This is how change is made.”
USARIEM is a subordinate command of the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command under the Army Futures Command. USARIEM is internationally recognized as the DOD's premier laboratory for Warfighter health and performance research and focuses on environmental medicine, physiology, physical and cognitive performance, and nutrition research. Located at the Natick Soldier Systems Center in Natick, Massachusetts, USARIEM's mission is to research and deliver solutions to enhance Warfighter health, performance and lethality in all environments.
| Date Taken: | 11.06.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 11.06.2024 12:00 |
| Story ID: | 484761 |
| Location: | NATICK, MARYLAND, US |
| Hometown: | KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, US |
| Web Views: | 97 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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Natick Army Soldiers Systems Center
