Photo By Sgt. David Bryant | Spc. Frances O. Sandoval, 36th Division Special Troops Battalion executive assistant,...... read more read more
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BASRAH, Iraq – She was originally assigned as the battalion legal clerk. Her job for the 36th Infantry Division’s deployment to southern Iraq for Operation New Dawn would simply be to assist the commander of the division’s special troops battalion with any legal matters that arose.
That quickly changed when the 21-year-old paralegal specialist from headquarters and support company showed the battalion commander her dedication to duty and professional competence, earning Spc. France O. Sandoval the additional title of battalion executive assistant.
“She’s a consummate administration specialist, very diligent in her duties of processing personnel issues of both a routine and confidential nature,” said Lt. Col. L. Doug DeVries, 36th DSTB commanding officer. “She’s the kind of young Soldier who really makes her country proud to have her serving it, and I expect to see good things from her as she finishes her first enlistment and decides to either continue on in the military, or pursue her education full time."
Sandoval’s duties include pretty much anything the commander or the battalion command sergeant major need, she said.
“I put together their Power Point presentations and draft up their memos,” said the San Antonio native.“I make sure the family readiness group letters that Lt. Col. DeVries sends out every month are addressed to the right people, and since he also likes to send out letters to the families of those who receive Red Cross messages, I make sure those are addressed properly and sent out. I also work for Command Sgt. Maj. Richardson. Pretty much anything he needs – spreadsheets, memos, policies – I draft everything up.”
Although she was trained as a paralegal, administrative duties take up a lot of Sandoval’s time, she said. “It can be a little tricky at times doing the admin stuff, but I love my job. I love whom I work for. Lt. Col. Devries and Command Sgt. Maj. Richardson are amazing people to work for – they are very easy to talk to, and they are very understanding when I personally don’t understand something.”
“She’s been instrumental in ensuring the smooth processing of personnel transactions,” DeVries said. “She is the kind of Soldier the Texas Army National Guard has done well to recruit – a native Texan working to better herself through service and education.”
Education, or the extreme lack of enthusiasm for it, was the reason the 2009 graduate of Smithson Valley High School in Spring Branch, Texas, a suburb of San Antonio, decided to enlist in the Guard under the split option training program. She attended basic training between her junior and senior years of high school and completed her advanced individual training after graduation.
“I was never really big on school, so I figured that if I didn’t push myself to do this [join the Guard and complete training], I’m not going to want to push myself to keep going to school,” Sandoval said. “I figured if I could do this, it would at least keep me busy and give me something to keep going for. Now I’m in the process of starting my school when I get back home.”
“I work at a day care back home and I just love being around the kids. I would want to teach smaller children, as in elementary school. I’m already used to taking care of around a dozen three year olds,” she added.
Most of Sandoval’s family lives in San Antonio, although her father lives in Palm Bay, Fla. One of the biggest things helping her deal with being homesick, though, is that several staff members of her high school are deployed with her to Iraq.
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Jeffrey L. Lightsey, the commander of the 36th ID Band, is the Smithson Valley High School band director; Spc. Omar Palos, a tuba player and armorer with the 36th ID Band, is one of the football coaches; and Spc. Cory T. Sales, the assistant operations non-commissioned officer for the battalion’s A Company, works there as a percussion and private lessons teacher.
“Knowing people makes it easier, especially knowing people from back home. You can talk about things that are going on exactly where you’re from, such as how the small town is progressing,” Sandoval said. “Whenever I don’t hear from my family, I can talk to Chief Lightsey and he’ll say things like, ‘Oh, did you hear this or that about the high school?’ That’s pretty cool, since they’re doing a lot of remodeling on the school, and it helps me keep up with everything going on back home.”
Until she gets back home herself, though, Sandoval said she plans to continue staying busy by helping the battalion run smoothly.
“It is a pleasure to serve with her. Even as a specialist, she is mentoring others,” said DeVries. “She displays an esprit de corps that makes her a consummate battle buddy for those she serves with, and her inspiration and enthusiasm are contagious. I couldn’t ask for more.”
| Date Taken: | 05.13.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 05.13.2011 09:12 |
| Story ID: | 70317 |
| Location: | BASRA, IQ |
| Web Views: | 276 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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