Photo By Greg Wilson | Maj. Jessica Carr, U.S. Army Sustainment Command Headquarters and Headquarters Company...... read more read more
ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL, Ill. – Wherever a Soldier serves, they need support. Not just food and physical security, although those are certainly essential. Another important type of support involves their psychological well-being.
A healthy mind means that a Soldier can concentrate on the mission, but the reverse is also true. Worries about money, families, paperwork that always must be done when they start or end a deployment, and general stress can negatively impact their work, and their mission.
One important avenue of support is the Headquarters and Headquarters Company. At U.S. Army Sustainment Command, HHC is led by Maj. Jessica Carr, who said HHC is a vital component.
“The Soldiers come here, and whatever they’re doing, they’re focused on their mission,” Carr said. “We are focused on the Soldier while they focus on their mission,” she added.
That’s important because ASC’s mission is getting everything a Soldier needs to the right place, at the right time, and in the right condition, anywhere in the world.
“The HHC is the heartbeat and backbone of any brigade and higher command,” said HHC 1st Sgt. Audryann Hood, adding, “by providing the leadership, support, and coordination necessary for successful operations.”
That support can be as simple as reminding the Soldiers to keep up with personal concerns like paperwork, keeping life insurance information up to date, having them schedule and keep medical appointments, and scheduling fitness tests. It could be connecting with services available on or off post.
It could also be something much more serious.
Master Sgt. Elizabeth Johnson, ASC G4 (Logistics) noncommissioned officer in charge, said the command’s and HHC’s support was crucial after she was diagnosed with breast cancer in September 2023. “Finding out you have cancer is life-changing,” she said, “but to have a command that supported me with visits to see how I was being cared for, to having me telework versus coming into the office because, going through chemotherapy, some days I just wasn’t able to get up. HHC helped me from the moment I found out I had cancer all the way up through my last treatment.”
Johnson praises both ASC and HHC for the help she got during that difficult time, and says “they went the extra mile” for her so she could concentrate on battling the cancer and then focus on healing. She said she makes a point of giving back through volunteer efforts involving HHC and the command overall.
HHC also directs its efforts at the families through its Soldier and Family Readiness Group, which is an Army program. The SFRG is a command-sponsored organization of Soldiers, Civilian employees, Family members (immediate and extended) and volunteers belonging to a unit who provide mutual support and assistance, and a network of communications among the Family members, the chain of command, and community resources.
“We recently revitalized our SFRG,” said Hood, “which has empowered the commander and me to be even more actively engaged and provide resources not only to the Soldiers but also to their families.”
“Because you may not know about the military family life counselor,” said Carr, “or you may not know about the Exceptional Family Member Program where, if you have someone with special needs, this is the resource here on post that can provide you the tools and also the resources that are available out in the community.”
Carr also pointed to the Army Community Service Center. “We connect and partner with resources across the garrison, so that we can ensure what we’re offering to the families can help make their daily lives or their quality of life as military families better.”
When a Soldier first arrives at the command, there are several things that must be attended to. If it’s a Soldier and Family, for instance, they may need time off to arrange for housing on base or looking in the community. It’s part of HHC’s mission to see that the Soldiers have the time to take care of these important items so that they can concentrate on their work.
By the same token, when a Soldier rotates out of ASC, HHC focuses its energies on helping the Soldier wrap up their business here before they move on.
The Army has recently had a big push for units to get rid of excess equipment. It’s a burden on them because it must be maintained and accounted for, even if the unit doesn’t need or use it. HHC also supports that initiative, but with individual Soldiers. They’re able to turn in certain items they no longer need, like helmets, or specialized gear they used in a prior deployment.
Right now, HHC looks after the welfare of the almost 190 Soldiers assigned to ASC headquarters, addressing any personal or family issues that may affect their performance.
Carr has been in her current position about 15 months and says being HHC commander gives her a sense of pride.
“The biggest part that makes me proud, honestly, is the people. I have gifts of stewardship and servitude. Those are two things that I really enjoy doing, and this allows me to do that. I get to steward people. I get to serve people. But the people here make it that much more enjoyable because of the relationships that we've built, the cohesion that we have and the rapport and everyone always comes together to accomplish the mission.”
Many of the activities HHC develops are in partnership with the garrison, or other offices within ASC. Carr said that whatever recreational activities are made available to Soldiers are generally also made available to Civilians. She said there are a lot of Civilian workers at ASC and including them helps build relationships and a team spirit.
“I am immensely proud of HHC's mission to support Soldiers and their families,” said Hood. “Our ability to take care of the nuances and relieve our military members of such burdens gives me a profound sense of purpose in what we do at this level of command.”
Carr concurred. “Whatever it may be, whatever initiatives, whatever guidance, we always come together, and we always make it happen, and we have fun doing it,” she said.
| Date Taken: | 12.17.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 12.17.2024 13:12 |
| Story ID: | 487708 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 34 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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