Only African American female to serve as rigger warrant officer retires

By Sgt. Daniel Cole, U.S. Army Europe Public AffairsJanuary 30, 2015

Only African American female to serve as rigger warrant officer retires
1 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – WIESBADEN, Germany -- Chief Warrant Officer 4 Petrice McKey-Reese is awarded the Legion of Merit by Col. Thomas Stackpole, USAREUR's chief of logistics operations, during her retirement ceremony held here, Dec. 17. Her retirement ceremony marked the ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Only African American female to serve as rigger warrant officer retires
2 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – WIESBADEN, Germany -- Chief Warrant Officer 4 Petrice McKey-Reese salutes during her retirement ceremony held here, Dec. 17. Her retirement ceremony marked the final page in her 30-year career as a parachute rigger, 21 of those years as a warrant off... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

WIESBADEN, Germany -- The day a Soldier retirees from their military service is one filled with many emotions, both positive and negative, this can be especially true when the Soldier's story is unique.

Chief Warrant Officer 4 Petrice McKey-Reese is one of those unique Soldiers. Her retirement ceremony, held here Dec. 17, marked the final page in her 30-year career as a parachute rigger, 21 of those years as a warrant officer, and the only African American female to ever be designated a rigger warrant.

Born in New Orleans, La., McKey-Reese grew up around rich culture, which she only realized after leaving for the military. The well-known food, people and music associated with the southern city are regularly on her mind as she longs for a taste of home.

Months after her 18th birthday she decided that family came first and that she wanted her two-year-old son to have a better way of life; to do that a sacrifice needed to be made to ensure her son had a positive future. April 24, 1984 was the day she began building upon that dream and left the "Crescent City" for basic training at Fort McClellan, Alabama.

Fast forward nine years in the future, Staff Sgt. McKey-Reese drew the attention of her senior leaders as a stand-out Soldier who could hold her own in a predominantly male field.

"Retired Chief Warrant Officer 4 Robert Ford, retired Col. Gloria Blake and retired Sgt. 1st Class Marshall Ford saw something in me as a young Soldier and they thought I would make a good warrant officer," McKey-Reese said. "I also wanted to change some things in our field."

At the time, her field only had one female warrant officer, Chief Warrant Officer 4 Debra Lee, now retired, and was someone the hopeful noncommissioned officer admired.

Hoping to make the change a reality, McKey-Reese headed to Fort Rucker in southern Alabama during the winter of 1993 to pursue her transition to warrant officer.

Her Airdrop Systems Technician training lasted approximately 20 weeks and during those weeks she learned how to support commanders with airborne operations guidance, oversee airdrop and rigger operations, and how to find malfunctions in equipment that potentially saves lives on the drop zone.

McKey-Reese says her most memorable time as a warrant officer was her first mission as a newly pinned warrant about 20 years ago in Haiti. She explained that the mission was an eye opener for her and that the blinders came off; her way of looking at situations through the eyes of an NCO quickly changed. She was developing the perspective of a warrant officer who was seeing a bigger picture.

Moving ahead in time to her retirement ceremony, McKey-Reese was honored by Col. Thomas Stackpole, USAREUR's chief of logistics operations and key speaker at the ceremony, who spoke strongly about her great accomplishments.

"I am proud to have served with Chief McKey-Reese and she will certainly be missed, especially that infection positive attitude she has," Stackpole said.

As McKey-Reese approached the podium to give her speech; as the retiring warrant officer looked around the room, tears came to her eyes which seemed to be filled a bit by sadness and a bit by joy but mostly with the passion that came from the love of her job and the love she has for being a Soldier.

"This moment is bittersweet, as with all major decisions in life, but I am ready to move on to the next chapter," the retiring Soldier said. "I will miss the bonds that have been built over the last 30 years, for I have worked with some of the most outstanding Soldiers, NCOs, officers and warrant officers."

These were part of the final words by McKay-Reese during the ceremony held for a truly unique Soldier. After she was congratulated by all in attendance, some even came back to thank her again for her incredible career and the legacy she will be leaving behind as the first African American female to hold her military occupation.

"Follow your dream," she said with a silvery tone after the ceremony. "Whatever your dream is, follow your dream and keep pushing forward."

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