Photo By Sgt. Maj. Tyrone Walker | Army Lt. Gen. Jack Stultz, chief of the Army Reserve, congratulates Spc. Jessica...... read more read more
BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan - In a short ceremony, Army Lt. Gen. Jack Stultz, chief of the Army Reserve, promoted Spc. Jessica Amador to sergeant at Bagram Airfield.
Stultz was at Bagram Airfield on day two of a three-day tour of Afghanistan. He recently completed a greet-and-meet to hundreds of Army Reserve soldiers serving in Operation Enduring Freedom.
Spc. Jessica Amador excitement was obvious as she beamed a wide smile from ear to ear outside a warehouse at Bagram Airfield on Jan. 22, 2011.
“I’m super excited and I’m very nervous,” said the native of Red Granite, Wis., who has been a Reservist for four years. “I’m going to be an NCO. That’s a big deal.”
This day was her day as fellow soldiers and friends of the 7220th Blood Support Detachment lined up for the ceremony with Amador as the center of attention.
This is the day she may never forget. This day is the day she was promoted to sergeant, the day she became a member of the Non-commissioned Officer Corps. It also was the day, that a three-star general pinned three chevrons on her uniform.
In a short ceremony, Army Lt. Gen. Jack Stultz, chief of the Army Reserve, promoted Amador to sergeant. Stultz was at Bagram on day two of three-day tour of Afghanistan he recently completed to greet and meet to hundreds of Reservists serving in Operation Enduring Freedom. Amador is one of 6,252 Army Reservists serving in Afghanistan.
“It feels so great that I can’t think of the words to describe it,” Amador said. “I’ve been waiting for this for a long, long time. I feel awesome.”
After the ceremony, soldiers and friends lined up to congratulate Sgt. Amado. Fellow Reservist and friend Sgt. Veronica Williams of Atlanta was one of the first to give Amador a hug. Williams said she felt like a mother watching her child become an adult.
“My baby has grown up,” Williams said.
Amador is a member 7220th Blood Support Detachment, a 14-soldier detachment based out of Arizona, who arrived to Bagram Airfield in June 2010.
The unit’s soldiers manage the blood supply throughout Afghanistan to multiple hospitals, using frozen blood products shipped in from the United States and blood collected in Afghanistan. They also manage blood supplies for wounded soldiers and for civilian communities in Afghanistan.
Small units like the 7220th were the ones Stultz took time to visit during his three-day trip that included stops in Nangarhar, Helmand, Kandahar,and Paktika provinces. Stultz also visited Army Reserve soldiers at Camp Eggers, Forward Operating Base Fenty, Forward Operation Base Sharana, Forward Operating Base Leatherneck and Kandarhar Airfield.
In all, Stultz visited and dined with soldiers from more than 20 units. He awarded a Purple Heart, re-enlisted 17 soldiers, pinned 25 Combat Action Badges on soldiers, and presented his commander’s coins to nearly 50 soldiers.
In five town hall meetings, Stultz praised soldiers like Amador for their service and reminded them of the important roles they play in Afghanistan and around the world.
“Thank you for what you do. Thank you for being here,” Stultz said. “The Army can’t do what it does without you.”
| Date Taken: | 01.22.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 01.28.2011 07:23 |
| Story ID: | 64374 |
| Location: | BAGRAM AIR FIELD, AF |
| Web Views: | 123 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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