Evans:Aca,!E+'Live the Army values'

By Crystal Lewis Brown, Fort Jackson LeaderAugust 27, 2009

Evans:Aca,!E+'Live the Army values'
(Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

Rank, name

1st Sgt. Ellsworth Evans

Unit

17th Military Police Detachment

Military Occupational

Specialty / Job title

First sergeant/ 31B, military police

Years in service

19

Family

Married, three children

Highest education

Bachelor's degree

Hobbies

Playing guitar

FORT JACKSON, S.C. -- First Sgt. Ellsworth Evans said what he enjoys most about being in the Army is seeing the transformation new Soldiers make during Basic Combat Training.

"I loved being a drill sergeant ... and changing civilians into Soldiers," he said.

In his 19 years of service, Evans has been deployed to Kuwait, Iraq, Afghanistan and Egypt.

He has been stationed at the Sierra Army Depot in Herlong, Calif.; Okinawa, Japan; Fort Buchanan, Puerto Rico; Fort McClellan, Ala., Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.; Fort McPherson, Ga. and West Point, N.Y.

He said his father is the person who has most influenced his career.

"My father died when I was young," he said. "He always wanted to be in the military, and he always told me, 'You can do anything you put your mind to.' And I just kind of wanted to live his dream for him, and that (was) being in the military."

He said his goals are three-fold.

"Definitely to be a command sergeant major, that's No. 1," he said.

He said he also wants to complete his master's degree and spend more time with his family.

His advice for junior enlisted Soldiers is for them to be resilient.

"Although in life, you might not get the best, or (you may) go through hard times, if you're resilient, you can overcome those obstacles," he said.

He said President Obama's election as the first black president is an example of resiliency.

"No one thought that would happen," he said. "He had to be resilient because I'm pretty sure ... he was told he couldn't do it."

He also advises Soldiers to: "Live the Army values every day. It sounds cliche, but (they) are a foundation of how to live every day."

We salute you!