A dual-Army Air Traffic Control couple reenlisted indefinitely in the Army in a ceremony at Fort Novosel Dec. 6, 2023.
Sgt. 1st Class Ashley J. Hogge, battalion S-3 noncommissioned officer in charge at 1st Battalion, 13th Aviation Regiment, and Sgt. 1st Class Ronald P. Hogge, tower section chief within Air Operations Training Committee, Company C, 1-13th Aviation, both signed their final contract which will cover the next decade until they retire.
Both NCOs credited their current leaders and job satisfaction as the difference-makers in their decision to stay in the Army.
“I love this place. It’s the best job I’ve ever had in the Army,” Ronald said.
He commended his fellow Soldiers and civilians, some of whom were his instructors when he was in Advanced Individual Training (AIT), for the student-centric climate of excellence in the workplace at Braman Hall.
Ronald initially enlisted in the Army for financial stability and for a career path that would also set him up for success outside the Army, while Ashley was looking for a new start after an unhealthy circumstance in her personal life.
They both arrived at then-Fort Rucker for AIT in 2012 about two months apart, and after completing training, both were assigned to Fort Riley, Kansas.
“The Army pushed us together,” Ronald said.
From Fort Riley, they deployed to Afghanistan in 2013 and were thrown together as battle buddies because of a food allergy incident Ashley endured while traveling, and an ensuing flight delay. They became friends and later married. They returned to then-Fort Rucker in 2017. Part of their reenlistment is the ability to remain at Fort Novosel until 2025 to provide stability for their family.
Both said the reason they want to stay in the Army is all about people, and the difference leaders can make.
“I definitely would not have reenlisted if it wasn’t for the people that I work with currently,” Ashley said. “Six months ago I was not going to reenlist. I hated everything about my job. I think higher-ups noticed that. They said, hey, we’re going to put you in a better position. So they moved me. And now that I have Soldiers that are underneath me and I have a good working relationship with all the people in not just my section but all of the battalion, I was able to actually love my job again. So it goes back to the people.”
Ashley said her leaders “genuinely care about people. They care about everything about individuals—they care about their financial situations, their health, their mental health. We went through a lot of stuff the last year. We all came together, and it’s finally at this steppingstone where it’s like, we made it, and now we’re closer than we’ve ever been before. I think the bonds I’ve made with individuals in the military have made it worth doing this.”
Ashley said experiencing the tragedy of losing a Soldier back in January knocked her off balance.
“I didn’t really have a good way forward from there. Moving me to where I am now—I have incredible NCOs, and we all have each other’s backs. And that’s a very significant thing for me. without trust in a team, you can’t really do anything,” she said. “My S-3 shop is the reason I reenlisted.”
The right people at the right time have made all the difference to her.
“They relit the fire underneath, and pushed me where I needed to go,” she said.
Command Sgt. Maj. Michael P. McAvoy, 1-13th command sergeant major, said he recognized talent and potential in Ashley at a time when she wasn’t being put in for positions of higher responsibility, and since moving her into another assignment she has turned their organization around. The 1-13th trains Army AIT Military Occupational Specialty 15P, aviation operations specialists, and 15Q, air traffic control operators, for the U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence.
“Unfortunately, the nature of TRADOC, some folks come here only with the intention of retiring and setting themselves up for success to retire, and that’s who was running our S-3 shop (at the time),” McAvoy said.
“We recognized her talent. I told her, it’s a master sergeant position, and we feel like you’re ready and you’re going to crush it. In the last six months, it’s night and day in how this battalion operates. We’re ahead of taskings, and the taskings are done accurately without drama. Ashley’s been able to correct everything about that shop and has got everybody in the boat rowing in the same direction,” McAvoy said.
“It’s inspiring to see some of the changes she’s been able to make in that shop in such a short amount of time,” he said.
McAvoy said the Hogges are well known around USAACE “for everything they’ve been able to do since being here, which is why we are over the moon if they’re given the opportunity to stay here, because everybody wins.”
The Hogges said they support each other in their jobs and prioritize their children as they make career decisions together.
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