2LT Edwards

I can finally say that I am now a 2LT in the United States Army! I commissioned and graduated this past weekend and the experience was so surreal. Here is a picture of my grandfather and father pinning my LT bars. My mom is making her way to the stage and is in the picture below. I don't think they've ever been more proud of me. I don't think I've ever been more proud of myself.

I'm so thankful that God brought me through my last few classes successfully and allowed my family to share this day with me. So many people showed their support as they drove from various parts of Tennessee to see my ceremony.

These are a few of my really good friends, Jordan and Erica, from high school who have stayed in touch during college and are still a big part of my life today.

 

 

 

 

Not the best quality photo. But this is a picture of me giving my first salute to CSM Nelson, my JROTC instructor from high school who helped me get to be where I am today. Below is a picture us after the ceremony was complete.

 

 

 

I was also grateful that my Aunt and Uncle made the ceremony after a 5 hour drive from Georgia. This is a picture of my aunt and I.

 

 

This is a picture of my commissioning class, along with our professor of military science on the far left, our guest speak LTG Huber, and our university president Dr. Oldham on the far right.

 

 

 

 

 

Below are pictures from graduation. I was really surprised and honored that they announced our names with our new rank as we walked across the stage. I decorated my graduation cap with lovely home state of Tennessee and my first stop for BOLC at Ft. Jackson, SC.

 

 



 

 



Today is also a special day. It marks my first day of active duty. This week, I will be going out to the field with ROTC to help them evaluate cadets during their tactical missions and it will be a longgggg week. But I'm counting my blessings because it is a great opportunity that many were not offered. Hopefully I'll be able to take a few pictures there and make a post once I get back. Leaving in 5 hours.

~ Melissa

82nd Sustainment Brigade

So I mentioned before that I would blog more about Ft. Bragg. I'm currently assigned to the 82nd Sustainment Brigade. It is considered to be the largest and most diverse sustainment brigade in the U.S. Army. That's about the only glamorous thing that I can really say about it.

Here is the insignia:

Many soldiers typically associate Ft. Bragg as the Airborne post, but sadly I was unable to get a 82nd Airborne Division slot. I asked my colonel how that works and typically the top 10% of cadets are slotted for Division as they get their first pick of the bunch.

I am Airborne qualified, but apparently they are taking away more and more slots from sustainment for people to jump.

I found this Brigade Welcome Letter that briefly describes what this brigade does and pointed me in the direction of their 82nd Sustainment Brigade Facebook page for frequent updates about the post. There I found several albums full of pictures that revealed dedicated soldiers who love what they do.

Seeing these somewhat eases my feelings of moving somewhere completely new. But I'm still on the fence of whether or not I'd like to attempt to trade posts.

On the flip side, I am only 1 final away from walking across the stage! I recently completed my final web design project, a class that I've been praying about all semester. I am definitely no web design major, but with prayer and hours of reteaching myself concepts that I didn't grasp in class, I was able to come up with this: My Web Page

It's very simple in design and layout, but I am very pleased with the way it turned out. If you only knew my skill level from the very beginning, you'd understand. My hat goes off to computer science and web design people. It's a very marketable skill. But I could not wake up everyday knowing that coding was what I had to look forward to the whole day. 

Thankfully another prayer has been answered. My boyfriend will be able to take leave from Ft. Benning to come to my commissioning ceremony. Here is a picture of us from his ceremony last May:

I can't wait to post a new picture of us in opposite places!

Commissioning in 5 days!

~ Melissa

5 more Days!!!

So I've been meaning to blog the past few days but the past few days of school have been insanely busy, especially with ROTC. Last Tuesday, we had our end of the year Awards Day for all of the cadets who worked hard throughout the past two semesters in ROTC demonstrating leadership and excellence while maintaining good grades in their other classes.

I was very happy with the awards I received this year. I wish I had the actual pictures of me receiving them, but they haven't been posted online yet. I'll just take a few of me holding them up. (Please excuse me for looking like a hot mess.)

This one was the Summer Achievement Award. It's a awarded to the senior cadet who achieved the highest score while attending the Leader's Development Assessment Course  (LDAC) at Fort Lewis, WA last summer. This award really caught me off guard--I really wasn't expecting it. But it's definitely going on my first desk! It's pretty nice right?

For those who are unfamiliar with LDAC, here is a video that shows the kind of training upcoming senior cadets must pass the summer before the senior year in order to commission:




The next award I'll show you is the Golden Eagle Battalion Commander Award:

I thought this one was pretty nice as well. Obviously it's awarded to the cadet Battalion Commander. It will have my picture in it soon enough and is also going on my first desk. When I first heard back in December that I was going to be promoted to the new BC, initially I had a lot of thoughts going through my mind.

I wondered if I could do it so some all of those thoughts up. With 5 more days left until commissioning and 6 left until graduation, I can say that I'm glad I was given the opportunity. It taught me a lot about myself and my capabilities, delegation, motivating your peers to complete their tasks, and so many other things.

I received my end of the semester counseling from the Colonel on Friday. His sustains and improves were not surprising to me. He said that I was a hard worker with a very business-like personality who produces quality work. For my improves he said that I need to work more on delegation.

The past year has been pretty difficult with my class. Most of them aren't exactly the self-motivated type. I usually ended up picking up their slack because I didn't want the mission to fail. But the things that the Colonel had to say made a lot of sense. One of my leadership challenges will be motivation of subordinates. And confronting them with a presence of authority when they don't do their job.

The last award I received was the General's Cup:

This was awarded to the senior cadet that demonstrated the most the principles of officership, leadership capabilities, and scholastic achievement. I'd say I made off like a bandit.

 

 

Well, this is really all I have time to post right now. There is a web design project that stands between me and walking across that stage due tomorrow. I'll make one more post tonight to tell you how our military ball went and take a little bit more about Ft. Bragg. Thank you so much for reading!!

 

~ Melissa

Rude and Distasteful

So I promised that I was done talking about the 670-1 regulation, but something that came up on my Facebook newsfeed that was so startling to my soul inspired me to jump up out of bed at 1:30 in the morning to blog about it.

I am a fan of a Facebook page called "U.S Army W.T.F! moments", a page that captures humorous moments or experiences of Army personnel through photos or personal stories. I was not surprised to see that 670-1 was being talked about on the page. But I was shocked and rather disgusted by the manner in which they posted it:

I will be the first to tell you that the woman's hairstyle is dead wrong (faddish and against regulation.)And her caption from her Instagram may even be taunting, but there is some truth behind what she is trying to say.

If you take a closer look at the comments from the admin of the page, you'll see the level of ignorance that exist among some of our military leaders and subordinates. How is "nappy shit hair" not a racist comment?

I mean it's a hairstyle that immediately draws positive and negative attention to begin with--I wouldn't even try wearing that in  uniform...let alone anywhere. But I'm sure it looks cute on her in civilian clothes. I understand both sides but the way that the page addressed it really lacked professionalism and respect.


So the news and actions surrounding this newly implemented policy are getting out of control. The last I heard, the White House petition that was going around across hundreds, maybe even thousands of internet forums to get the decision repealed failed to get a response from the Obama Administration. But the significance of its message still made it to the eyes and hands of individuals with somewhat of a high political influence.

After women of the Congressional Black Caucus wrote to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel urging him to reconsider the new policies, he formally announced on April 29th that the Pentagon would officially review each military branch's policies on women's hairstyles with specifically these measures:

• Within the next 30 days, each Service will review the definitions of authorized and prohibited hairstyles contained in each of their respective policies and revise any offensive language.

• During the next three months, each Service will review their hairstyle policies as they pertain to African American women to ensure standards are fair and respectful of our diverse force, while also meeting our military services' requirements. 

 

Here is a link to an article from the Huffington Post that might provide you with a better idea of how that's moving forward: 670-1 Huffington Post Article

 

I also thought that this comment from a Facebook user was pretty interesting. "Finger waves" is the name of the style the woman is wearing in the Instagram picture above by the way:

 

 

 

I think it just really demonstrates how much of a double standard there is with this new policy.

 For those who aren't familiar with 670-1, this policy is also affecting soldiers with tattoos below there elbows and knees. Those that have them in those places I believe either have to pay to get them removed or are themselves removed from their job in the military. I think this photo is a little extreme to get their point across, but I understand what they're saying. A soldier with a tattoo doesn't change the sacrifices that they made or the caliber of character that they are.

In my opinion, I don't think this new standard should affect those already with tattoos, but more so those who are trying to enter the military from this point out--a grandfather system if you will.

But my main point of that is, there are other people who are upset by this policy. It's affecting many people and others should be courteous of everyone's situation--even if it doesn't affect you specifically. LISTEN to their side and then form your opinion which you are definitely entitled to. Just at least be respectful and classy about it.

 

Can I get anyone's thoughts? I hope I'm not sounding like I'm overreacting but some of the things I read early this morning are really shocking to me.

Check out this interesting cartoon I also found from an article:

 

 

1 week until commissioning!

 

~ Melissa

Thanks for all of the Advice so far!

Well, I started this blog almost three weeks ago and I feel like it's really serving the purpose I intended. I wanted to say thank you to everyone who has commented and given their opinions so far!Not only are you helping me with my college assignment, but you're helping me aim for success after graduation.

The majority of the advice I've received has come from military Facebook groups that I'm a part of. Here is a screenshot of what I've received so far from the African American Army Officers group I recently joined:

 

Obviously, a majority say that Bragg is the better post for opportunity. Many have said that it's more competitive there and one of the hardest posts where they have trained at. I had the great opportunity to attend Airborne school at Ft. Benning during the summer of 2012, which helped me get this assignment. It was one of the most rewarding experiences I've ever had and I'll never forget those that I met.

 

For those reading who don't know what Airborne school is, here is a quick video. They start jumping around 3:42.

 

 

 

Like a mentioned before, my professor or military science is a Colonel who loves Ft. Bragg and mentions Airborne in about every other sentence. Naturally, he had a biased opinion and described it as a base of volunteers--a very Alpha male post. I don't know if I like the sound of Alpha male but other opinions and experiences shared about it definitely has me rethinking my options. I may decide not to try to trade for Ft. Campbell after all.

 

I took a closer look at my orders and it looks like I'll be assigned to HHC 82nd Sustainment Brigade. I'll make my next post about that itself.

 

I can't describe how exciting it is to be done (temporarily) with school and starting the next chapter. I'm really starting to see how much those hours of studying has really paid off. I definitely plan to take advantage of the grad school opportunities that the Army may be willing to provide after the next 4-5 years.

 

Well, that's all I have for now. Please continue commenting with any advice you have. I really appreciate everything!

 

 

 

~ Melissa 

 



One Step Closer..

Well, it's starting to feel more official everyday. Commissioning is in two weeks. I made another trip to Ft. Campbell today to pick up my new ACUs.

 

While I was there, I really thought to myself whether or not I wanted to attempt to trade Ft. Bragg with someone to be stationed at Ft. Campbell or not. Ironically, I don't like change. I picked the right profession right? Over the past few years, I've definitely learned that change is eminent in the military. Change in leadership abilities, plans, location...and that's not even the surface of it all.

I think I've really got a big decision to make because both are great posts. Ft. Campbell has always been home though. It's natural to want to be close to family. After I graduate, I'll be adjusting to new levels of responsibility, meeting new people, and attempting to perform my best at it all. I know that the Army has become more competitive ever since it began downsizing again. I really don't want to be on the chopping block.

Do I want that kind of pressure in an environment that I'm already familiar with, surrounded by family or should I just take a leap of faith and start somewhere new?

I'm a firm believer in taking advantage of opportunities. I just wish I could see which opportunities I'd have at each post. But that's where you all come in.

I'd really appreciate it if you'd share your experiences at either post and give me your impression of them. What opportunities did you pursue and achieve while you were there? Thanks for commenting!

 

 

~ Melissa

First Stop: Ft. Bragg

Well, first I'd like to start off by showing you my new hair that is currently in regulation for 670-1:

 

It's neat, flat enough to fit underneath my headgear, is strikingly similar to the twists I had before (but are now braids), and I got the approval from my colonel. "It looks good," he said.

 

 

I'm certainly going to miss my hair stylist when I leave. I told her that I wish I could take her with me when I leave for training. I know this is a topic that has been beaten like a dead horse, so I'm not going to say too much about it. But I know that there are a lot of African American lawmakers out there working to get the regulation changed and I think that's great. That's all I'm going to say about that.

 

As for everything else, graduation is in my sight picture and I can almost taste walking across the stage. Even more exciting is my commissioning ceremony the day before. Right now I've been scrambling and making multiple trips to Ft. Campbell to make sure my uniforms are all squared away. This is just me holding up the AG insignia with my gold bars. That day can't come soon enough.

 

The biggest blessing of all has been that God has allowed me to still have my grandfather around so he can pin my rank on during the ceremony. He's been very influential in molding the person I am today and helped raise me.During times when I thought I wouldn't make it through to this point or when I just had a bad day in ROTC, he always encouraged me and reminded me that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I'm finally starting to see the light.

 

After a year of waiting, I finally found out where my first duty station will be: Ft. Bragg, NC. At first, I was a little discouraged that it wasn't home--Ft. Campbell. But then I started counting my blessings. From what I've heard, Ft. Bragg is a nice post and it's still on the East coast close to home. I asked about the selection process and how it worked. Of course Ft. Bragg is home to many jumping units so the fact that I'm airborne qualified sealed the deal for me being stationed there.

 

 When I head to BOLC, I'll have a chance to ask if anyone wants to switch duty stations but if that doesn't work out, I think I'll be satisfied with this assignment. It's definitely not a permanent location.

 

But I really can't complain at all. The day after graduation, my active duty pay will automatically start. I've been given the opportunity to work in the ROTC office on campus as a Gold Bar Recruiter until I leave for BOLC in July. Gold bar recruiters are newly commissioned second lieutenants who remain on campus after graduating while they await their slot for BOLC. This basically means I'll be helping the cadre get potential cadets interested in the program during the summer by helping with recruiting events and whatever else they may need done in the office. Not a bad deal at all.

 

It helps add a new perspective in the ROTC office for new college students who may be interested in joining the program because of my familiarity with high school, college and cadet life. Here is a short blog post of an AG Captain who wrote about his experiences back in 2009 as a Gold bar recruiter when he first became a 2LT. I found it very interesting because he is very similar to myself and what what he studied in college and the military path he took. Check it out: Captain Rigg's Blog

 

I'll definitely try to reach out to him and get some insight.

 

If you're interested in reading blogs in general about military personnel to gain some insight and advice for yourself in your MOS or branch the Army Strong Stories is a great page to look into. I think there are bloggers for just about every branch so I really encourage you to take a look! I'm considering becoming a blogger for them. ---> Army Strong Stories

 

If anyone has any advice or knows the ins and outs of Ft. Bragg, please let me know! I want to know about good nearby cities to visit and places I should probably avoid. What are the people like? Anything you'd like to share!

 

As for the next blog, hopefully I'll be able to give you some more info on Ft. Bragg and what I'll expect there. I'll also try to share advice given to me from current AG officers.

 

18 more days until commissioning and graduation!

 

 

 

~ Melissa