GEORGE A. MORRIS ARMY RESERVE CENTER, Miss.--Soldiers, families and friends looked on as 1st Sgt. Richard Broussard, a native of Lafayette, La., accepted responsibility as the senior enlisted leader of HHC, 412th Theater Engineer Command, following a change of responsibility ceremony held here July 8, 2012.
In his first speech as the new first sergeant, Broussard was quick to acknowledge the love and sacrifice of his family throughout his 18 years of military service. Their endless support allowed him to train, focus and accomplish his assignments here and abroad.
"Thank you for putting up with my routine absences and enduring the necessities of the Army. They are the rock that keeps me anchored," he said, as his wife and four children looked on.
Broussard, grateful and humble for the opportunity, also thanked the command and HHC commander, Maj. Leslie Teague, for their trust and faith in him to serve in this new capacity.
"I will attempt to live up to the exacting standards the position demands," he said.
And in moving toward that objective, the First Sergeant had a focused message for the HHC Soldiers, particularly the non-commissioned officers.
"I will hold the NCO's up to the scrutiny of the NCO Creed, reminding each of us of our responsibilities to our soldiers. We must be mentors and take responsibility for the readiness of not just the enlisted soldiers, but the officers as well."
The Lousiana native joined the military in 1994 and deployed multiple times to Macedonia, Italy, Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Throughout his 18 years in the Army, he served in a variety of leadership positions and managed technical operations, valuable opportunities that complemented his experience on the civilian side.
In the Army (Reserve), Broussard has served as a Maintenance Technician for TAC SAT, DGM, and Trop Scatter communications equipment; a Signal Company maintenance technician in support of Patriot missile ADA batteries; Shift NCOIC for the Pentagon Technical Control Facility; and Facility Manager for the Army Operations Center Technical Control Facility.
On the civilian side, Broussard is currently employed as Senior Communications Network Technician at LUS Fiber, where he manages a Network Operations Center for a Fiber To The Home/Business service provider. He oversees technicians that support residential, business, and wholesale customers with video, phone, and internet/data.
Broussard's awards include a Bronze Star and several ARCOM, AAM and ARCAM.
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