Bonnie Heater
Signal staff
FORT GORDON, Ga.--(April, 23, 2009) Staff Sgt. Geczel Rivera, a chapel assistant from Fort Gordon, was one of the service members working behind the scenes at the 2009 Presidential inauguration.
He was chosen as an outstanding representative of the U.S. Army Garrison at Fort Gordon said Col. John Holwick, the garrison commander.
Back in November 2008, the garrison received a tasking from the Installation Management Command of the Southeast Region for a Soldier in the rank of specialist through staff sergeant, who would be able to travel to Washington, D.C., for the inauguration, according to 1st Sgt. Katherine Pennebecker, garrison first sergeant. "Capt. [Theodosia] Martin, [garrison company commander] and I took a look at who was in our unit and decided we had a couple of Soldiers who could fit the bill," Pennebecker said. "Sergeant Rivera was one of them.
"He is an outstanding noncommissioned officer who cares deeply for his Soldiers, his mission and his unit," she said. "Rivera gets any task assigned completed and looks for ways to improve his section. He strives to help his Soldiers excel at whatever they are doing."
After careful consideration the garrison leadership selected the NCOIC of chapel assistants for the Good Shepherd Chapel to represent Fort Gordon at the Presidential Inauguration.
The Passaic, N.J. native left Dec. 15, 2008 for Washington. This gave him a month to review the 2005 Armed Forces Inaugural Committee continuity book and create power point presentations to help his team understand their duties and responsibilities. During this period Rivera spent a lot of time at the Pentagon in training and talking with other NCOICs to make sure everyone knew what role they would play on Jan. 20.
The Kingsfeld University alumnus worked for the AFIC as the parade staging security noncommissioned officer in charge.
"I was the only Army NCOIC in the Parade Staging Division," he explained. "The other three were in the Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard. I was the staging security NCOIC. Their jobs were different than mine. They were made Entry Control NCOIC, Traffic Control NCOIC and Command Post NCOIC."
Once his team arrived in Washington he spent two weeks training them. The team consisted of five Soldiers and one Sailor. "Although I didn't get to select my team, I was very lucky because they were all either military police or infantry men," he said. "They were experienced in handling crowds."
While in the nation's capitol his five-member team assisted the U.S. Secret Service in credentialing the Presidential Parade participants and screening them for weapons as they entered the parade staging area which was located in the north parking lot area of the Pentagon.
"We were looking for any unauthorized weapons, and making sure that everyone who entered the staging area was credentialed, and reported directly to the command post," said the American Intercontinental University alumnus.
"As parade participants entered the staging area, they passed through our screening tents with magnetometers, and we scanned them," he said.
Security measures for the 2009 Presidential Inauguration included street closures on both sides of Pennsylvania Avenue, thousands of surveillance cameras, air patrols, sharpshooters, personal searches and the U.S. Coast Guard monitored the water ways.
The fact the both President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama twice exited their armored limousine on Pennsylvania Avenue and walked a portion of the parade route illustrated how comfortable and self-assured they were with the security measures taken that day to protect them.
Vice President Joseph Biden and his wife, Jill Biden, also walked the parade route at several points with their children Beau, Hunter and Ashley. Later the president made a stop at the Mary J. Sweitzer Federal Building where he spoke with Rivera, other NCOICs and officers in charge who planned out the security for the parade. "He talked briefly with us and thanked us for our work," Rivera said. "The president was very polite and he had a great sense of humor. He was down to earth.
"It was an honor to serve the garrison and Fort Gordon at the inauguration, he added.
Rivera is projected to depart the post in May for Fort Jackson to take on a new challenge as Chaplain Officer Basic Course Platoon Sergeant. (Editor's note: This is one of a continuing series of articles in The Signal newspaper highlighting the talents, skills and accomplishments of noncommissioned officers serving in the U.S. Army during 2009 The Year of the NCO).
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