JAK
Story by Staff Sgt. Stephen Tressler/138th Fires Brigade Unit Public Affairs Representative
LEXINGTON, KY. (June 10, 2010)-- When you're 5’8”, 170 lbs., and wear corrective lenses you can be overlooked pretty easy. Even easier when you’re enrolled in a Warrior Leader Course that processes thousands of soldiers every year trying to become better leaders.
So how do you stand apart from the rest?
Well, you could earn the highest academic scores ever recorded in the history of the Ohio National Guard’s Warrior Leader Course (WLC).
Such is the case with Kentucky Army National Guard soldier SGT Adam Rients, of the 138
th Fires Brigade, out of Lexington, Ky.
SGT Rients, a combat veteran thanks to his deployment to Iraq in 2007, turned quite a few heads and received a ‘mountain of attention’ by way of his performance, work ethic, and academic achievements.
So much so that, the school commandant of the 147
th Regimental Training Institute in Ohio, informed Kentucky State Command Sergeant Major Gregory D. Armstrong about SGT Rients recent performance at WLC.
SCSM Armstrong in turn notified 138
th Fires Brigade CSM Joey D. Simpson who alerted 138
th Brigade Commander COL Rodney G. Hayes.
None of the soldiers in the unit seemed too surprised upon hearing the news.
“If you know SGT Rients, you know that soldiering to him, is as important as the air he breathes. He takes it personal and he loves what he does” said 138th Battery HQ 1SG Timothy W. Horan.