REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. -- Flanked by four of her favorite guys, Lt. Col. Jenna Guerrero took a step in her military career Aug. 19 that continues her course into higher level leadership positions.
Guerrero is the Army's newest lieutenant colonel, taking the oath and donning the new shoulder straps signifying her new rank at her promotion ceremony at Redstone Arsenal's Sparkman Center. The shoulder straps were placed by her two sons -- seven-year-old Michael and five-year-old Jacob -- with the help of her husband, Mike, who is a retired Army chief officer three; and her uncle Bill Croninger, who is a Vietnam veteran.
"Thank you for all the trust you give me to do the duties I'm assigned," Guerrero said. "Thank you for trusting me to stand in this position. Thank you to everyone who has helped me, supported me and mentored me."
Guerrero, an Operation Iraqi War veteran with two Bronze Star medals, has held numerous positions with the Aviation and Missile Command since being assigned to AMCOM Operations (G-3) and the AMCOM Logistics Center since 2012. Among her responsibilities, she coordinated this summer's Adventures at AMCOM for high school students, assisted with AMCOM 101 for Aviation and has shared her Army story with local middle school students.
"I've had the opportunity to work on a daily basis with Maj. Guerrero over the past year. Everything she's involved in has been just phenomenal," said AMCOM chief of staff Col. Todd Royar, who officiated at the ceremony.
Before her official promotion, Royar reviewed Guerrero's "phenomenal career." In 1999, she graduated from East Carolina University with a bachelor's degree in child development and family relations and a commission through ROTC into the Ordnance branch.
Much of her Army career has involved leadership positions at Fort Bliss, Texas. She deployed with the 3-43 Air Defense Artillery Battalion in 2002 during the early days of Operation Iraqi Freedom and then again to Iraq in 2005 to serve with the Multi-National Security Transition Command-Iraq.
She also served at Fort Sill, Okla., with the Operation Warrior Transition Program, as commander of the 479th Field Artillery Brigade Headquarters and Headquarters Co. and as chief of the Joint Mobilization Operations Center. She served as an operations officer at the Fire Center of Excellence before being assigned to AMCOM.
"She's really had a storied career," Royar said. "But the Army doesn't promote based on what a Soldier has done, but on what they can do and about their potential, and she has a lot of potential."
It's Guerrero's "immaculate" reputation, Royar said, that has made an impression on Army senior leaders.
"Her reputation has gotten her to this point and it's her reputation that is going to carry her on in her future. She has a reputation for excellence, for being able to get the job done, and she's done so selflessly," Royar said, adding that Guerrero is an outstanding example of an officer who lives the Army values.
In her comments, Guerrero thanked AMCOM Operations (G-3) director Brian Wood and deputy director Margaret Moulder, Chief Warrant Officer 5 James Heck of the AMCOM Missile Maintenance Office, and co-worker Bob Schmidt of the AMCOM Logistics Center.
Guerrero, who has been affectionately known as "Maj. G" at AMCOM and now as "Lt. Col. G," thanked the Army family that has provided support for her and her family.
"We've been very reliant on our Army family. Mike and I both were on active duty together for a long time. Because of our Army family, the boys are great and resilient," Guerrero said.
"We moved here on a leap of faith. There are not many Army families here, so now we have a civilian family. This is a great team and a great family."
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