FORT NOVOSEL, Ala. -- Five Soldiers and three civilians with a combined 227 years of service retired at the Fort Novosel Quarterly Retirement Ceremony July 28 in the U.S. Army Aviation Museum.
Col. Richard Tucker, commander of the 1st Aviation Brigade, officiated and spoke at the ceremony, assisted by Command Sgt. Maj. John Bonilla, 1st Aviation Brigade command sergeant major.
The following are short write-ups on each retiree.
CW3 Michael Lawrence
Lawrence, an airspace systems inspection pilot, entered military service in 2003 as an infantryman. He attended Warrant Officer Flight Training in 2009, serving at Fort Moore, Georgia; Fort Campbell, Kentucky; Fort Cavazos, Texas; Fort Novosel; Italy; Germany; and Africa, in addition to multiple combat tours in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. He has served as an OH-58D pilot, and a standardization instructor pilot, instrument examiner, functional check pilot, and an aviation mission survivability officer across various C-12 platforms.
He said the highlight of his career was being an airspace systems inspection pilot with the Air Traffic Services Command.
He and his spouse, Felicia, have three children. They plan to reside in Enterprise.
First Sgt. Shane E. Cook
Cook, the G3 Aviation Operations NCO at the U.S. Army Combat Readiness Center, entered military service in 1994 as a Chinook mechanic. He served in Fort Cavazos; Fort Wainwright, Alaska; Fort Drum, New York; Savannah, Georgia; Fort Novosel; and Korea, and multiple combat tours in support of operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom. Cook has also served as a flight engineer, standardization instructor, battalion safety officer, government ground representative, flight platoon sergeant, first sergeant and operations NCO.
He said the highlight of his career was marrying his beautiful wife and having two wonderful children.
He and his spouse, Amanda, plan to reside in Wicksburg.
Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Butts
Butts, the NCO in charge of the Aviation Gunnery Branch, Directorate of Training and Doctrine, entered military service in 2001 as a Chinook helicopter repairer in the Alabama Army National Guard while he was still in high school. In 2003, he enlisted into the active Army as a Black Hawk helicopter repairer, serving at Fort Liberty, North Carolina; Fort Novosel; Wheeler Army Airfield, Hawaii; and Cleveland, Tennessee. He also served in combat in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Butts has also served as an aviation life support equipment technician; aircrew standard instructor course instructor; company, battalion and brigade flight standards instructor; recruiter; aviation master gunner course instructor; and aviation gunnery branch NCO in charge.
He said the highlight of his career was traveling the world with his beautiful wife and two wonderful children.
He and his spouse, Susan, plan to reside in Enterprise.
Sgt. 1st Class Romulo B. Barbecho
Barbecho, the assistant operations sergeant, command language program manager, battalion air program manager, static line jumpmaster and range safety officer, and a native of Ecuador, joined the Army in 2002. He graduated from the Special Forces Qualification Course in April 2008 and was assigned to the 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne). He has served as a junior and senior weapons sergeant with Special Forces Operations Detachment Alpha 7113 at Fort Liberty and at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. He has also served as a Special Forces instructor with the 1st Special Warfare Training Group at Fort Liberty. Barbecho has multiple combat deployments, including operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom, and deployment to support U.S. Southern Command in Colombia, Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador.
He said the highlights of his career were being able to work and train with partner forces in different parts of the world, and to train and select Special Forces Soldiers known as Green Berets.
He and his spouse, Jamie Barbecho-Walker, have six children.
Sgt. 1st Billy T. Raines
Raines, the NCO in charge of the Medical Evacuation Concepts and Capabilities Division, joined the Army in 2003 as a combat medic. He served numerous combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan in support of operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom, and Operation Atlantic Resolve. He has held various leadership positions such as squad leader, platoon sergeant, rear detachment first sergeant, company standardization instructor, senior flight paramedic and capability developer.
He said the highlight of his career was evacuating multiple casualties during his 17 years as a critical care flight paramedic.
He and his spouse, Catherine, have five children. They plan to reside in Tipp City, Ohio.
Mark E. Patry
Patry, the installation antiterrorism officer and a retired Special Forces Soldier, has served in a myriad of assignments as a civilian employee to include with the Department of State in numerous American embassies and consulates, as a Special Forces instructor at the U.S. Army JFK Special Warfare Center and School at Fort Liberty, with 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) as the antiterrorism/force protection officer, the Marine Corps in Japan, and with the Defense Finance and Accounting Service in Maine before finally landing at Fort Novosel in 2021 where he served as the installation antiterrorism officer.
He said the highlight of his career was having a beautiful, loving wife stand by him throughout his entire Special Forces and civilian careers. He said that he could not have excelled without her.
He and his spouse, Michelle, have three children and three grandchildren. They plan to reside in Laurel Hill, Florida.
Adolph B. Gethers
Gethers, the supervisor of the flight simulator program in the Directorate of Simulation, entered federal service in 1984 in the Charleston Naval Shipyard, South Carolina, before serving in the Navy for three years. In 1988, he returned to federal service serving in Charleston; Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Georgia; Fort Moore; and Fort Novosel. Gethers served for 40 years as a laborer, electrical apprentice, electrician, instructional systems specialist, aviation combined arms tactical trainer lead, non-rated crew member trainer lead, unmanned aerial system lead and supervisor of the flight simulation program.
He said the highlight of his career was renegotiating the flight school training simulation services contract, resulting in contract award in March totaling $1.7 billion over the next 12 years.
He and his spouse, Revonia, plan to reside in Dothan.
Vicky D. Anderson
Anderson entered federal service in 1983 as a teacher’s aide with the Department of Defense Dependent Schools in Hanau, Germany. She has served in numerous positions at Fort Novosel to include military personnel clerk, administrative assistant and culminating as the secretary for the warfighter performance division at the U.S. Army Aeromedical Research Laboratory, working there since 2007.
She said she does not have just one highlight of her career but has fulfilled all of her duties with a smile and an unselfish attitude.
She is most proud of her two sons, Navy Lt. Cmdr. William A. Blair, and Robert Anderson and their wonderful families. Anderson plans to reside in Enterprise.
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