Courtesy Photo | Capt. Stacey N. Jelks, the company commander and a Bloomingdale, Ill., native, Pfc....... read more read more
By: 1st Lt. Daniel Reep
CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER, Iraq - Although soldiers frequently leave their units to move on to new opportunities, the prospect of a teammate leaving can be an emotional event.
Soldiers of the 15th Transportation Company, 749th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 4th Sustainment Brigade, 310th Expeditionary Sustainment Command, said farewell to their first sergeant on Contingency Operating Base Adder, Iraq.
First Sgt. Gussie Bellinger, the first sergeant for the 15th Transportation Company, and a Charlotte, N.C., native, has been with the “Roadwarrior” family since April 2007 and has deployed with the company to Iraq twice in support of both Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn.
Under his leadership, he has provided mentorship to his enlisted soldiers, as well as professional guidance to his officers. Bellinger has served with three commanders in the last four years. Now he is preparing to attend the sergeant major academy at Fort Bliss, Texas, later this year and to eventually serve in a battalion command sergeant major position.
“Each commander has his or her own different personality,” Bellinger said. “It proved developmental and challenging for me to work with multiple officers, but the relationship between the commander and first sergeant is a mutual partnership, full of respect and cooperation.”
“One thing I’ll miss about him is that he tried to handle all of the soldier issues at his level,” said Capt. Stacey N. Jelks, the commander of 15th Transportation Company, and a Bloomingdale, Ill., native. “He has played a central role in this company’s success during this deployment. He always gave me 100 percent loyalty.”
Though he will be moving on to other opportunities, the non-commissioned officers in the company cannot help but miss their first sergeant.
“First Sgt. Bellinger has provided awesome senior leadership; he helped promote 25 soldiers to the rank of sergeant and 18 to the rank of staff sergeant since he’s been in the company,” said Staff Sgt. Kevin G. Green, a headquarters platoon sergeant with the 15th Transportation Company, and a Stuttgart, Ark., native. “His knowledge will be missed.”
Bellinger said he looks forward to his new assignment but continues to reflect on his experience as a first sergeant.
“This company has given me enduring challenges,” Bellinger said. “It’s definitely been a learning experience on my part. They’re the same challenges we’ve always had, and at the end of the day, the most important thing we do in the Army is take care of our soldiers.”
| Date Taken: | 04.30.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 05.15.2011 01:52 |
| Story ID: | 70391 |
| Location: | CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER, IQ |
| Web Views: | 408 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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