Officer on 'major' roll with Army, teammates

By Ms. Marie Berberea (TRADOC)March 5, 2015

Promotion ceremony
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Soldier and teammates
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Derby demonstration
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FORT SILL, Okla. -- Maj. Andrea Lohmann, Reynolds Army Community Hospital Occupational Therapy chief, decided to hold her promotion ceremony March 1 surrounded by family, friends and roller girls.

Inside the 580 RollerGirls warehouse, "The Little Shop of Rollers," the reason for her choice of venue became clearer.

"About a month ago, Captain Lohmann came to me and said 'I want to do a promotion ceremony,' and I said well that's fitting because you're getting promoted," said Col. Noel Cardenas, RACH commander. "She said I want to do something different."

Looking at the attendees sitting in chairs and others on roller skates Cardenas said, "I can tell by the room that this is obviously very different."

Striving for perfection

In every stage of her past Lohmann has worked to be the best.

A dancer in college, she was also the captain of her pom squad. She and a group of friends tried out for positions with Disneyland in Florida.

However, Tokyo Disneyland saw her audition tape and called her to accept a position as Tinker Bell.

"They offered me a ridiculous opportunity for an outrageous amount of money, if I could roller skate. I said 'Why, yes I can!' Then, I taught myself to skate in my garage and applied everything that I knew about dance to my skates," said Lohmann.

Skating with a 35-pound battery pack and wings, Lohmann displayed great endurance and became the only American to stay past the six-month mark with them. She skated four years in Japan where she became friends with a roller derby team, the Tokyo Bombers.

In 2000, she returned to the United States and earned a master's degree in occupational therapy, which later led to hand therapy.

"I wanted to work with amputees. After 9/11, it was clear that the patients who needed the most upper extremity therapy were those who were fighting in the war. The improved body armor was saving lives, not limbs. I applied for an internship program at Walter Reed Army Medical Center instead of finishing my degree in a civilian internship," said Lohmann.

She met her future mentor at Walter Reed, Lt. Col. Kathleen Yancosek, now the director of the Center for the Intrepid at Joint Base San Antonio - Fort Sam Houston.

Yancosek visited Lawton-Fort Sill and spoke at Lohmann's promotion ceremony.

"I have known Major Lohmann since she came in the Army in 2006. She was a superstar lieutenant, top of her class. She changes the energy in a room when she walks into it," said the colonel.

She said more than a year ago Lohmann came to her broken because she was passed up for promotion to major.

She gave her the same advice she'd give any of her patients: pour yourself into work and help others.

"And that's exactly what she did. She said, 'Let me get to Fort Sill, let me work, let me put some of this energy into helping others. She revitalized and revamped the (occupational therapy) program. She is the picture of resilience," said Yancosek.

Lohmann was still struggling when Col. Glenn Waters, Fort Sill Garrison commander, mentioned roller derby to her, which got the wheels rolling.

"I was relatively at a low point, and I don't know much about low points so that was challenging for me," said Lohmann.

She went to an open recruitment and planned on only helping the team, but decided to go all in and be a skater.

"This is a unique duty station for me. I have never been somewhere where there is such a great connection between the installation and the city itself. To me, the derby girls epitomized that union. Here we have a group of active-duty Soldiers, Department of Defense civilians, military spouses, dependents and residents devoting their time, energy and passion to this sport and to the community."

A fellow teammate and Soldier said Lohmann was instantly embraced by the team.

"It's interesting how the derby world is very much like the Army; you can move to a new town and be accepted into this organization just because of the skates on your feet. So I think it's fitting that Andi combined her two families, and of course her parents and siblings, into this memorable promotion ceremony," said Maj. Marny Skindrud, 214th Fires Brigade executive officer and 580 RollerGirl's Viking Barbie.

Lohmann recently made the 580 RollerGirl roster as Tinker Ring-Her Bell.

Like the circle on the track, Lohmann said her past and present collided and she had everyone to thank for helping her get to where she is in life.

"Being promoted to major was the single most important moment in my military career. It's monumental. When I found out that I was selected, I envisioned who I wanted to share that moment with. The answer was my family, my derby family and my patients," said Lohmann.

In his invocation, Chaplain (Col.) Matthew Pawlikowski, Fort Sill Garrison chaplain, described the different facets of her life by saying, "She is vivacious by personality; she is violent by choice of her sport; she is caring and compassionate and competent in her work as a therapist.

"We thank you for the drive that you've given her that has led her to work so hard and so well that allowed her to be recognized."