Goodbye Sergeant Walls

Today our company relinquished one of its greatest assets. This drill was our supply sergeant’s last with us. Sergeant Walls has spent three years with the RSP Battalion as supply sergeant for Bravo Company. She has guided some four hundred soldiers through RSP and IET and into their units. She has shown a dedication to her job and her troops that is truly admirable.

Ask anyone who has been to a drill or two or has taken the time to get to know her a bit. Sergeant Walls lives for her job. It is not uncommon for her to sleep on post because she’s busy making sure things go perfectly for us at all times. She gives her cell phone number to every new recruit and her number one rule that she reiterates every month is to keep her posted on everything that’s going on. Never in my time with the Guard have I called Sergeant Walls and not had her pick up within the first few rings. She has been available to any soldier who wishes to do extra PT with her on post and even took a group to do the Race for the Cure on her own time on Saturday. She has shown an impressive devotion to her troops that has done us a ton of good. As she gave her final speech at drill today she mentioned over and over again that she is still available as a resource for us and made it very clear that she still expects to be kept in the loop. Her tone was genuine and her track record proves that she truly does care and I have no doubt that she will still be around to help me if I need her like she said.

Not only is she a devoted NCO but an outstanding individual in her own right. She has energy and a demeanor that isn’t easy to forget and manages to command respect without demeaning her troops. When she took a group down to Race for the Cure I went down with her and even brought my girlfriend along. Despite my initial nervousness about introducing the two of them they got along very well and Sgt Walls is still a frequent topic of conversation and always in a positive way. I have greatly appreciated Sgt Walls’ contribution to our unit as a person as well as an NCO.

I realize that I am merely a PFC but I wanted to take the opportunity to thank Sergeant Walls for everything she has done for us and everything she has shown us.