Hello readers! Welcome back to the January edition of Take 5! I hope everyone had a great break and spent time with friends and/or family. I also hope you got some of what you wanted and maybe even something you needed like a new puppy, a new job or maybe some much needed sanity from the rat race!
I’m Mikie P, and in this edition of Take 5, I’m going to recap a few of the amazing people from 2024 who agreed to sit down, spill the beans about themselves and lay it all out there for your edification and entertainment. Through their stories, we learned about some of FORSCOM’s best and brightest Soldiers and Civilians who serve the command in unique careers. Many of them wanted to inspire people to serve their country in uniform, while others shared their passion about serving in a civilian capacity. We read about how they got started in their jobs, who their mentors were and maybe even chuckled about some of their Shenanigan’s along the way.
Our very first Take 5 sacrificial lamb if you will, was Michael Plott, FORSCOM Team Chief for Data Visualization. Michael’s passion for Information Technology or IT, took him on a journey from being part of the Circuit City IQ Crew where he helped eviscerate bugs from customer’s home computers, to providing the I-T infrastructure necessary to run FORSCOM mission application software; software that helps FORSCOM transport, track and deploy Soldiers and equipment. He never served on active duty, but his passion and drive (and perhaps a bit of self-admitted nerdiness) is what ultimately led him to settle into his current role, and we are glad he’s part of the team!
Sergeant 1st Class John Neely was one of the first Soldiers to share his story of how he came to be the G37 Ammunition and Training NCO for the 20th CBRNE Command that handles Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosives for FORSCOM Soldiers. His personal journey as a Soldier was fun to learn about because he shared how he got to blow stuff up and how what he does is so important to keeping the Soldiers of FORSCOM safe. We learned that being an 89D or Explosive Ordinance Disposal Technician isn’t just a dangerous job. You’re also charged with protecting others, so your skills need to be on par every single time you’re working with any hazards or protecting dignitaries because the EOD motto “Initial Success or Total Failure,” means there’s absolutely NO “do overs.”
The last person I want to highlight in this mini Take 5 Year in Review, if you will, is Jonia Young, Equipping Program Manager, FORSCOM G2. She was funny and fun to talk to, and her story was unique because before she started working as a FORSCOM Civilian, she spent 20 years in uniform. Jonina started out as an enlisted Soldier and worked as a Tactical Electronic Warfare Systems Repairer. At her first duty assignment, she admitted her smart mouth got her into trouble. It also set her up for success though because another Soldier kind of took her under his wing, steered her in the right direction, and she went on to blossom by becoming a warrant officer and mentoring others and being recognized for her outstanding accomplishments. When she retired, she kept on doing amazing things and was named the 2024 recipient of the U.S. Army's Dorothe K. Matlack Award for Excellence in Military Intelligence as a FORSCOM Civilian. Not too shabby, Jonina. Keep on doing what you do and making us proud!
I just want to thank everyone who took the time to read the blog in 2024, and may you all have a healthy, prosperous and fun new year!
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