FORT POLK, La. ---- Being promoted to major is a significant step in an Army officer's career. When you receive that promotion from the Army Chief of Staff, it becomes even more significant.
Maj. Frederick J. Babauta, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 162nd Infantry Brigade, was promoted to major Oct. 9 by Army Chief of Staff Gen. Raymond T. Odierno during a ceremony held at Fort Polk. The promotion to major was not a surprise for Babauta, but his promoter was.
"I signed into Fort Polk the first week of October and my date of rank was Oct. 1," Babauta said. "I was talking to the G-1 about having someone promote me and the 162nd Infantry Brigade commander was at NTC (the National Training Center). The G1 approached (Brig.) Gen. (Clarence K.K.) Chinn (Joint Readiness Training Center and Fort Polk commanding general), and I guess the timing worked out where the CSA ended up pinning me. The work was done by (Brig.) Gen. Chinn to get the CSA to pin me."
Babauta began his career 18 years ago as an enlisted Soldier, attaining the rank of staff sergeant. It was then he decided to switch his career track and become an Army officer.
"I joined the Army because I had started a family really young, and thought obtaining a commission would (allow me) to provide more for my family," he said.
Babauta said he was pleasantly surprised when he found out on Oct. 5 that the CSA would be promoting him. He also said it would have been an honor if he would have been promoted by Chinn.
"I would have considered it an honor for (Brig.) Gen. Chinn to promote me because when I was enlisted, I grew up in the Ranger Regiment and (Brig.) Gen. Chinn was in the Ranger Regiment," Babauta said.
His ties to the Ranger Regiment would have made a promotion by Chinn quite memorable, but Babauta said it was a great honor to be promoted by the Chief of Staff of the Army, and it's a feeling that he will not soon forget.
"It was definitely an honor," Babauta said. "Besides the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, there is no one higher other than Secretary of the Army, Secretary of Defense and President. Being promoted from company to field grade and having someone that significant (promote you) made the promotion that much more memorable. He's a real busy man, and for him to just promote one person with his busy schedule makes it really special."
Something else that made the ceremony special, and somewhat surprising for Babauta, was the amount of knowledge that the Army Chief of Staff had about his military career.
"He knew a lot of things about me," Babauta said. "He knew my military history and significant points in my career, and to be able to talk about those events shows that he took the time to know a little bit about me before the ceremony."
Being promoted by the Army Chief of Staff is a career highlight that will be hard to top for Babauta.
"Regardless of who promotes me to lieutenant colonel, being promoted to major is a highlight in my career that I will always remember," he said. "Things have been working out well for me. My career has continued to progress and I have no plans to get out of the Army any time soon."
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