Company E gets new commander prior to annual training in Fort McCoy
Jun 24, 2009, 9:08 AM
Photo and Story by RACHEL KNIGHT
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| Capt. Kate Clarke, company commander and 1st Lt. Dustin Vosburg, prepare for refueling the Apache helicopters. |
Capt. Kate Clarke, of Fort Rucker, Ala., took command of the company on June 1 - one week before they travel to annual training on June 8.
"This was the opportunity to command a diverse company in many missions in an attack battalion - which I am unfamiliar with - giving me the opportunity to continue to learn and develop," Clarke said. "This company has such a great reputation and I am really excited to command it."
Clarke joined the active Army and was commissioned as an officer in May 2000. In 2004, she took a break from the military and entered into the Guard in December 2008.
"Every since I was a little kid, I wanted to be in the Army," Clarke said. She traces that desire to serve to her father, who she said is very patriotic and instilled a desire to serve the country in his children. But that isn't the only family connection that inspired Clarke to join the Missouri Guard:
her sister, Maj. Lindsey Decker, is part of the Missouri National Guard's 205th Military Police Battalion.
"My sister was the big reason I joined," Clarke said.
When asked if becoming the commander right before annual training would be tough, she quickly replied that it was a great idea and opportunity to meet her Soldiers.
"It's in my favor because you can much easier assess your people," Clarke said. "Plus you're thrown into the deep end of the pool to learn your mission. It's a much easier way to learn your company and step into that leader role."
She said she hopes that her Soldiers learn to trust her and realize she knows how hard they work.
"I want to feel like I have accomplished the foundation I wanted as a starting commander with the trust of my Soldiers," Clarke said. "I want them to know they can do anything they put their minds to."
So far, the captain has made a good impression on her Soldiers.
"She's outstanding," said Spc. Rodney Moffett. "We've only been around her a few days but she makes herself present and concerned for the troops."
Spc. Eugene Edwards agreed.
"I like her," Edwards said. "She seems like she's more for the troops. She gets there and get's the mission done. She's easy to talk to and she tells you as it is."
Clarke said she has "the coolest job in the Army."
"At the end of the day, we are blessed to live in this country and having the opportunity to lead such a wonderful group of Soldiers on a daily basis is my driving force that inspires me to continue on," Clarke said.
Clarke is a 1994 graduate of Macon High School and a 2000 graduate of Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tenn. She received a bachelor's in military history and a bachelor's in political science.
Clarke is currently employed at Fort Rucker as a civilian instructor. She is supported in her Guard career by her parents, Steve and Marie Decker, of Macon; her sisters, Maj. Lindsey Decker, of Linn, Anna Milan, of Columbia, Wendy Roberts, of Tampa, Fla., and Tiffani Shelton, of Dothan, Ala.; and her
husband, Army Chief Warrant Officer 3 Michael Clarke, of Fort Rucker, Ala.
For more information about the Missouri National Guard, please call 1-888-GoGuard or visit www.moguard.com.
