“Why I Serve” is a series of feature articles highlighting the reasons why civilian and military personnel serve in various roles to support to the Picatinny Arsenal community.
PICATINNY ARSENAL, N.J. — Sgt. Faegist M. Adlam, a food inspector at Picatinny Arsenal, is rapidly approaching her 10th year of active-duty service, and less than a month removed from a ceremony where she reaffirmed her commitment to oath and country by reenlisting in the U.S. Army.
Known as Tiffany to her peers, Adlam was born in Jamaica, and is the first in her family to serve in the U.S. military. In addition to her service duties, Adlam is also using tuition assistance to continue her education as a full-time student, majoring in social science with a minor in psychology at the University of Maryland Global Campus.
More importantly, Adlam is a single-mother to four boys ages 18, 10, and seven-year-old twins. Her oldest, who will graduate high school in the spring, was born with autism. His special needs require occupational speech therapy, physical therapy and visits from a social worker, among other services and programs, over an extended period.
A decade ago, Adlam was forced to make a decision that would lay the foundation for the woman she would become today.
“I was looking at opportunities at how I could better serve my family and I walked into a recruiting office and said, ‘Hey, sign me up,’” Adlam recalled.
She had early intentions of enlisting in the military while still in high school, even taking part in the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps. Unfortunately, “life got in the way.” It wasn’t until Adlam was 31 years old, and a single mother of two at the time, that she found herself en route to U.S. Army basic training.
Because of her son’s condition, Adlam is enrolled in the Exceptional Family Member Program. Known as EFMP, the program works with other military and civilian agencies to provide comprehensive and coordinated community support, housing, educational, medical and personnel services to families with special needs.
Soldiers on active duty enroll in the program when they have a family member with a physical, emotional, developmental or intellectual disorder requiring specialized services. Family needs can be considered in the process of military personnel assignments. The overall goal of EFMP is to help families accompany the service member to the right duty locations, not to exclude them.
“I serve, and continue to serve, because it what I always wanted to do,” Adlam said. “This is a dream fulfilled. Before I came into the Army, I didn’t have much. I owe the Army so much.
“As a single parent, it is difficult. But all that I am doing is to benefit them in the end, and show them what hard work looks like, what dedication looks like. One of our pillars of the Army values is selfless service. I want to show junior Soldiers that you can make an effort and you can be the one who takes those risks.”
When asked why leaving that lasting impression upon her fellow servicemembers is important, Adlam said it was because she has seen both good and bad leadership over the years.
“I want to tailor myself to be like the leaders who inspired me, to do the jobs that nobody wants to do, and have fun while doing it,” she said.
Adlam credits the Army’s Master Resiliency Training with helping her realize that she wants to be of service to her peers, not only while wearing the uniform but also when she retires.
“MRT has helped me so much because of the individuals, the leaders, who taught it to me, my leadership,” Adlam said with conviction. “They taught it in a way that makes me understand and utilize it. I see how much it did for me, and I want to be able to give that back to my fellow Soldiers and veterans.”
MRT assists Soldiers, Department of the Army civilians, and family members with skills and mechanisms to become more resilient and better able to cope with the stressors of military service and life.
“Once I retire from the service, which is my goal, I would like to work with veterans and their families, to assist with their mental health needs,” she said.
Adlam believes that everyone who can physically and mentally able to serve should volunteer for at least one enlistment in one of the branches of the U.S. Armed Forces.
“I feel you learn so much about who you are as a person,” she said. “It is not like having a job down the street where you can just quit when times get hard. It gives you an opportunity to learn how to handle stressful and complicated situations and develop yourself as an individual. In doing that, you grow as a person. Life started for me when I enlisted in the Army.”
As a result of her commitment and dedication to service, two persons close to her also decided to raise their hand and recite the oath of enlistment. Adlam’s sister enlisted in the Army and is nearing the end of her first term. Also, a lifelong friend recently saw an announcement on social media naming Adlam as one of Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill’s (NJ-11) “2023 Heroes,” and she too decided that it was time to make a change in her life. That friend will be reporting to basic training later this year.
Adlam has been assigned to Picatinny Arsenal for 28 months. As a veterinary food inspection specialist, she oversees food safety, quality assurance and protection from unintentional or intentional contamination of food that her fellow Soldiers and their families will consume.
She is also responsible for supervising food inspections and combined veterinary service activities, ensuring that all food items are packaged according to the Department of Defense standards.
Outside of her normal duties, Adlam is heavily involved in the Picatinny community and participates in local food drives as well as collecting toys for the Marine Corps Reserves Toys for Tots Program. She also volunteers for a variety of community events at the installation and was a member in the Holiday Ball committee for 2023.
For the most recent Army/Navy football game, Adlam ensured through inspections that the food provided during the game and festivities were up to standards.
Adlam also oversees the social media pages for Picatinny’s military housing, ensuring that families receive the most current information. She also takes the time to tutor those in school, both children and adults, all while being a mother of four children and furthering her own education.
“Picatinny is one of best duty stations I have had, not only for the people with whom I work, but also this installation has afforded my family with great services in providing assistance for my children,” she said.
The opportunities offered to those who join the military are unmatched, so if you are thinking about joining the Army, visit GoArmy.com or call 1-888-550-Army.
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