Col. Nancy Parson and Command Sgt. Maj. Janell Ray are sisters serving for the Army Medical Command. Duty, not rivalry, is the foundation of their commitment to the Army.
Parson is currently director of Patient Care Integration (which includes virtual health, women's health, surgical services, patient administration, pharmacy, blood, lab, and toxicology) at the Office of the Surgeon General. She was commander of the 2nd Medical Recruiting Battalion before arriving at OTSG. Parson is an obstetric nurse by training.
Ray is the 10th Command Sergeant Major of Ireland Army Health Clinic. She has always been in the medical field, and her previous duty assignment was sergeant major for the division surgeon in the 10th Mountain Division, where she was the first female sergeant major to serve in that position at Fort Drum. Ray originally was a physical therapy tech but later trained as a 68 Whiskey combat medic.
The sisters did not come to the Army by accident; service in the military is a family tradition and both Parson and Ray were born at Fort Hood. Their father (also a sergeant major) and grandfather served in the military--the family name is McHodgkins--and an older brother was an Army reservist for 10 years.
Although both attended Eastern Kentucky University, they did not follow the same career path. Parson went through Reserve Officers' Training Corps, but Ray enlisted after finishing college. Ray chose service as an enlisted Soldier because their father was a sergeant major.
Their careers have similarities and a few quirks. Parson deployed in 2004 to Baghdad; Ray to Tikrit in 2010. Parson was on duty at Fort Hood when a first baby of the year was born, and Ray was on duty for the last baby born at Ireland before the birthing unit closed.
Together they have combined for nearly 50 years of service. The sisters were raised to be independent thinkers and express themselves clearly--personal skills that are valuable everywhere.
They learned to accept change and be a change agent. If you don't change and adapt, they believe, it is difficult to succeed in the military environment, which is good advice for other Soldiers.
Both Parson and Ray made clear that military service--despite the requirements of duty--opens doors for an outstanding professional and personal life as well. Ray's upcoming permanent change of station will be the fourth move since 2014.
Ray explained that when you grow up as an Army "brat" you get to experience the culture of other countries; they spent 8 years overseas while growing up. Ray appreciated being exposed to all the culture; she's been to places most people will never see and recalled being in an art history class when she was about 19. On the screen were photographs of Spanish architecture of places she had already seen in person. Being in a military family allows seeing the world through a different set of eyes, she explained. It provides an education that those outside of the military may never get.
Parson and Ray agreed that their children appreciated the life experience gained by being part of a military family and pointed out that being in a military family builds resilience.
The chief "hobby" for both may well be family. Recently, Ray had 27 family members over at a family gathering. Both sisters cited support of family as a key part of their success; even their children have been supportive during the frequent moves.
They have personal interests as well. Parson loves yoga. Ray loves the outdoors--horseback riding, hiking, and high-adrenaline activities such as bungee jumping. Ray and her husband like to work out and have a full gym at home.
The future of the pair after military service is not clear because they still have work to do. Ray's next duty station is William Beaumont Army Medical Center; she expects to have a significant role in helping to stand up the new hospital, which is scheduled to open in 2019. Parson is on the alternate list for brigade command but likely will next be posted as a chief nurse unless a command slot opens up.
Oddly, in a command where career paths cross, re-cross, and then bump into each other, the sisters have never been at the same duty station at the same time. Parson has followed Ray on several occasions--from Fort Stewart to Fort Sam Houston to Fort Hood. Only in the past year have they ever been TDY to the same location simultaneously.
Parson and Ray know success is about developing people through mentoring and building a great organization through positive impact. The organization is not just the immediate clinic or hospital, but the entire Army.
Each has followed a different career track and is proud of the other's accomplishments. Rather than competition (except perhaps for APFT scores), it's about mutual support. Parson often asks Ray for advice from an enlisted perspective, and Ray can ask for advice on how to manage those pesky commanders.
The sisters form a perfect complement--officer and enlisted with one goal. "You have to transform the organization by helping others to grow," Ray said.
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