JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. -- Chief Warrant Officer 5 Jermain C. Williamson is a marine deck officer in the Army.
He serves as the chief of the Maritime Training Division, Maritime Intermodal Training Department at the Army Transportation School, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia.
Williamson grew up in Portsmouth, Virginia, and is the son of a Navy veteran. He graduated from I.C. Norcom High School and attended Old Dominion University in Norfolk for almost two years before deciding to join the Army.
The 25-year career Soldier said he has been blessed with a number of great assignments during his time in the service.
"My career started in 1991 as Pvt. Williamson at Fort Story, Virginia., with the 309th Transportation Company," he said. "I joined the warrant officer corps in 1999, and I have had a number of challenging assignments as a warrant officer since then."
Williamson has been deployed in many leadership positions, including commanding the 411th Transportation Detachment in Kuwait and serving as operations officer for the 7th Transportation Brigade Expeditionary Staff in Iraq. He was the first African-American in his job field to be promoted to chief warrant officer 5, the highest warrant rank.
Aside from serving as an inspiration for his Soldiers, Williamson's career choice made an impression on his two daughters, who today are both serving in the Army.
"A couple of my fondest memories were when my youngest daughter, a second lieutenant, administered the oath of office when I was promoted to chief warrant officer 5 and when I had the honor of administering the oath of enlistment to my oldest daughter when she joined the Army Reserve," he said.
Q&A
Q: What is your hometown?
A: Portsmouth, Virginia.
Q: What is your favorite thing about your hometown?
A: It is a historic military city with a great athletic heritage.
Q: What is the least favorite thing about your hometown?
A: Relatively small city with big-city crime.
Q: As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A: My initial goal was to be a lawyer when I grew up.
Q: What were your childhood hobbies?
A: Sports. I participated in football, baseball and basketball.
Q: What are your current hobbies?
A: Weight training.
Q: What motivated you to join the Army?
A: To serve my country and provide a better life for my family.
Q: What's your favorite line from your favorite movie?
A: "The force is strong with this one ... " from the original Star Wars movie.
Q: What do you consider as your strongest personal strength?
A: My Christian faith.
Q: What challenges have you faced in the military?
A: The normal Soldier challenges of deployments, peer pressure and remembering you are a Soldier 24/7.
Q: What do you consider your most significant achievements in the Army?
A: Being assigned as the first Transportation Corps warrant officer to teach at the Warrant Officer Career College at Fort Rucker, Alabama, and my promotion to chief warrant officer 5.
Q: What are the keys to leadership?
A: Having excellent interpersonal skills.
Q: What do you consider to be the most important Army value?
A: I believe they are all interconnected and equally important.
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