Posted on 01/07/2004 10:44:23 AM PST by Calpernia
New Year's Day was a memorable holiday for soldiers at Baghdad International Airport, especially for a married couple reunited for their joint promotion.
Chief Warrant Officers Sharon and Cecil Gibbs advanced together to chief warrant officer 3 Jan. 1.
Sharon, 1st Armored Division chief of strength management, is stationed at the airport here. Cecil is the chief of supply maintenance for 19th Support Center, 3rd Corps Support Command, Camp Doha, Kuwait.
"I could not have asked for anything better," said Sharon, who found out Dec. 11 that the couple had made the selection list together. "It's a blessing to be promoted together," said Cecil.
The couple met at Warrant Officer Candidate School at Fort Rucker, Ala. They were married in Virginia in December 1999.
Cecil deployed to Kuwait in February 2003 and Sharon entered Iraq three months later.
"I didn't want her to come here, because I was concerned with her welfare," said Cecil. "Now I am glad she came and (that) things worked out."
The couple has made the most of being in Operation Iraqi Freedom by seeing each other every chance they get, with the help of their commands.
Cecil flew up to Baghdad to celebrate the couple's wedding anniversary Dec. 29, and Sharon recently spent her rest and recuperation leave at Camp Doha with her husband.
"We didn't think we would see each other," said Sharon. "I think the deployment has strengthened our marriage a lot." The longest the couple has been physically together since their wedding day is seven months. Before deploying, they served together Wiesbaden Army Airfield, Germany.
"Sometimes it is hard because of long work hours and being apart," said Sharon. She added she believes their marriage has benefited their careers and has helped them be better soldiers.
"It's great," said Cecil on being a dual military couple. "My advice is to trust in God, and everything else will fall in place."
Chief Warrant Officers Cecil and Sharon Gibbs stand in front of the 1st Armored Division unit logo before their promotion to chief warrant officer 3 at Baghdad International Airport, Iraq, Jan. 1. Cecil, the chief of supply maintenance for 19th Support Center, 3rd Corps Support Command, flew to Baghdad, where Sharon is the 1st Armored Division's chief of strength management.
Chief Warrant Officers Cecil and Sharon Gibbs stand in front of the 1st Armored Division unit logo before their promotion to chief warrant officer 3 at Baghdad International Airport, Iraq, Jan. 1. Cecil, the chief of supply maintenance for 19th Support Center, 3rd Corps Support Command, flew to Baghdad, where Sharon is the 1st Armored Division's chief of strength management.
Many years ago I was a TAC Officer at the Warrant Officer Candidate School. As a matter of fact the first female to enter the School was one of my candidates. Must've been about 1975 or so.
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