U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Shannon Politte, a native of New Orleans and material management supervisor for Company A, 172nd Support Battalion, 172nd Infantry Brigade, Task Force Blackhawk, directs passengers to their flights at the flight line
on Oct. 5, 2011 at Forward Operating Base Sharana. Politte, whose parents were both Servicemembers, displays natural leadership ability as the noncommissioned officer in charge at the helicopter landing zone.
Photo by Army Staff Sgt. Luke Graziani |
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PAKTIKA PROVINCE, Afghanistan (10/7/2011) – Being the only girl in a
family of nine brothers is challenging, to say the least. Having two
parents who were both in the military adds to the challenge.
Growing up in New Orleans, the young girl learned to be tough on her
own but yet depended on her large tight-knit family for guidance and
support.
She was a tomboy, to the surprise of no one, with a
very strong, independent personality. She was raised with firm
military values, working for what she wanted and appreciating what
she was given.
Her parents pushed her to seek greater things
outside of her neighborhood in New Orleans and with their help she
attended college, but decided to pursue a military career partway
through.
U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Shannon Politte looks back on
her formative years with pride because she was able to take those
things that made her who she is and become a successful
non-commissioned officer in the Army. |
“I had to struggle and work hard for what I wanted,” she
recalled. “My parents didn't give a lot – we had to earn a
lot.”
“My dad was Air Force and my mom was Army,” she
explained, and with two military parents, they emphasized,
“Duty and responsibility. It's my duty to serve my country
and do what I have to do.”
Politte spent three years
as a drill sergeant at Fort Jackson, S.C., before being
assigned to Company A, 172nd Support Battalion, 172nd
Infantry Brigade, Task Force Blackhawk.
The time “on
the trail”, instructing new recruits at basic training as a
drill sergeant, taught her not only about training and
leading soldiers but also about who she was as a person and
leader.
“Being a drill sergeant – I loved it,” she
recalls fondly. “Being with the soldiers from sun up to sun
down and instilling the Army values in soldiers,” helped her
understand who she is inside, grow as a person and develop
as a non-commissioned officer.
She is now the NCO
in-charge of the helicopter landing zone at Forward
Operating Base Sharana and is responsible for operations at
the HLZ and the 18 soldiers assigned to her.
“I knew
this was going to be a challenging role,” she said. “I have
three sections in one. I knew I had to stay on my toes.”
The HLZ is a 24/7 operation – there is always something
going on, whether it be flights coming in or passengers or
equipment going out.
“I knew it was going to be
stressful,” she said. “Sometimes it can be very demanding.
It's a big responsibility and a big challenge.”
Pollitte said that with so much happening all the time and
with an area of operation so spread out, it's almost as if
she has to be at multiple places at once.
“I can't be
everywhere at one time,” she said. “But I have to know all
things that go on here at the HLZ.”
Managing stress
is vital to maintaining not only her soldiers' mental health
but her own as well. Politte keeps a vigilant eye on her
troops, but is able to take time to decompress herself by
keeping in touch with her family.
“I'm really family
oriented,” she said. “I center myself around my family. I
talk to them everyday or every other day. It makes my day
much brighter. As long as I talk to them I'm happy.”
Politte and her soldiers take pride in their jobs and their
vital role in the overall mission. She understands the
importance of running things smoothly at the HLZ and getting
equipment and supplies to the outlying areas.
“It
don't matter if it's clothes, food, water,” she said. “It
makes me feel good that I'm supplying the war. If we don't
supply them how will they get it? Some of those (places)
don't have goat trails or roads to get there.”
It's
not just mission essential items that Politte and her team
push out to the units. Sometimes, when the moment arises,
she is able to get comfort items to the soldiers in the
outposts that don't have access to them.
“Some of
(them) don't have hot meals”, she explains and she has been
able to ship out barbeque pits and coals so the Soldiers at
the outposts can enjoy a little bit of home.
Politte
will be eligible for sergeant first class soon, but her mind
is focused on taking care of her soldiers.
“I push
promotion,” she said. “I push that knowledge. Not just what
they study out of the books, but what they know and what
they display as a leader. I push my soldiers so they can
become greater than me. I let them use me as a stepping
stool to get to that next level. I push them hard.”
As tough as she seems on the outside, it's readily apparent
that her heart is for her soldiers.
“I give all the
credit to my soldiers,” she said. “I feel that if my
soldiers are happy, I'm happy.”
“An old sergeant
major told me, ‘You can't give a soldier everything they ask
for, don't spoil them,'” she recalled. “'Tough love and make
them happy with basic necessities - basic necessities and
that soldier will work for you all day long.'”
More associated images in frame below
By Army Staff Sgt. Luke Graziani
Combined Joint Task Force 1 - Afghanistan
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2011
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