MTMC's top enlisted soldier leaves with special memories.Command Sgt. Maj. James Kirtland has a favorite story he experienced in his worldwide travel supporting his soldiers. The Military Traffic Management Command's top enlisted soldier was in Nicaragua in February 1999, watching transporters bring relief supplies and equipment to victims of Hurricane Mitch Hurricane Mitch was one of the deadliest and most powerful hurricanes on record in the Atlantic basin, with maximum sustained winds of 180 mph (290 km/h). The storm was the thirteenth tropical storm, ninth hurricane, and third major hurricane of the 1998 Atlantic . Torrential rains had unleashed mudslides that washed away roads, bridges and buildings. The infrastructures of several Central American countries Noun 1. Central American country - any one of the countries occupying Central America; these countries (except for Belize and Costa Rica) are characterized by low per capita income and unstable governments Central American nation were in shambles. At a motor pool that had been hastily hast·y adj. hast·i·er, hast·i·est 1. Characterized by speed; rapid. See Synonyms at fast1. 2. Done or made too quickly to be accurate or wise; rash: a hasty decision. built in a cornfield, Kirtland said he questioned a mud-and-grease-splattered soldier about the mission. "I'm here to bring hope to a devastated dev·as·tate tr.v. dev·as·tat·ed, dev·as·tat·ing, dev·as·tates 1. To lay waste; destroy. 2. To overwhelm; confound; stun: was devastated by the rude remark. country" said the young soldier. The Command Sergeant Major pauses when he tells the story. Kirtland cited the conversation April 19 as he retired from the Army at a Fort Eustis Fort Eustis is a United States Army facility located in Newport News, Virginia. The post is the home to the Army Transportation Corps, and also home to the U.S. Army Aviation Logistics School. ceremony. The complex operation was summarized in a brief, poignant sentence. Memories of soldiers in the field conducting the Army's mission and representing the American people An American people may be:
"I appreciate all the awards and certificates" said Kirtland. "However, you know what will happen to them. They'll end up going into a box, in the garage or attic. "What I really will remember is the soldiers--they bring a smile to my face and a tear to my eye. You can't put that in a box." Kirtland, MTMC's Command Sergeant Major since April 1998, said he would miss the Army. He treasures his experiences in active service. "I've learned so much," said Kirtland. "It's hard to leave MTMC MTMC Military Traffic Management Command (US DoD) MTMC Mount Marty College MTMC Micros-to-Mainframes, Inc. (stock symbol) MTMC Middle Tennessee Medical Center (Murfreesboro, TN) ; it's hard to leave the Army." Kirtland entered the Army in 1972 as a draftee. Since then, he has served almost 30 years in assignments that included Korea and Germany. "I thank the Army for showing me the world" said Kirtland. Kirtland drew praise from Maj. Gen. Kenneth L. Privratsky, Commander. "He traveled worldwide to tell soldiers and their families they were part of a larger family--the MTMC and Army families. He devoted his hard work and focus to soldiers," said Privratsky. Kirtland's emphasis on soldiers and their families is one reason the command exceeds its re-enlistment quotas each year, Privratsky noted. |
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