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NEWS | Sept. 21, 2016

Ambassadors Receive the Way Ahead

By Master Sgt. Marisol Walker Office of the Chief, Army Reserve

CRYSTAL CITY, Va. – More than 60 Army Reserve Ambassadors came together from across the Nation to focus on the program’s efforts and the way ahead.

The Chief of Army Reserve outlined his priorities at the Sept. 16, 2016 annual Ambassador Forum.  Army Reserve Ambassadors are leaders in their communities who invest their time, commitment, and energy to tell the Army and Army Reserve story.  

“We have to do this together and our focus for the next four years is to win America’s wars,” said Lieutenant General Charles D. Luckey, Chief of Army Reserve and Commanding General, U.S. Army Reserve Command.   

“This was an opportunity for most us to meet the new CAR,” said Pennsylvania Ambassador George H. Duell, Jr.  “We were able to get his direction and his guidance and we got a nice overview of his expectations.  We know from Gen. Milley that readiness is the number one priority and it echoes all the way down.”  

Readiness was a recurring theme throughout the forum.  

It was also the primary focus of Sgt. Maj. of the Army Daniel Dailey, as he addressed the forum.
 
“Readiness is our number one priority; there is no other priority,” he said. “Nothing comes before this and we have to think about this as a total force.”

Dailey also spoke about the importance of the ARAs and what he needs from them.

“And that’s where I need your help,” he said. “To tell the Army story, to tell the value of what we’re doing and that we’re training and educating our young men and women.”

“Our goal is to sell the Army Reserve to the public, so that they know we exist,” said Duell. “We know the priorities and we know readiness is number one.”   

For Duell, the visit from Dailey was special as he has seen him grow from a child to the Soldier he is today.  

“We stayed in touch, and as soon as he became the sergeant major of the Army, the first thing I did was give him a copy of [Army Reserve] ‘At a Glance’ and told him, here’s what you need to know,” Duell said. “We just have a good relationship.”

Their relationship goes back to when Duell was the principal in Dailey’s high school.

It was important for the Ambassadors to see somebody from the top level saying, “Ambassadors are important enough for me to come talk to them and update them on current and relevant issues,” said Duell.

Virginia Ambassador Lettie J. Bien served 30 years in the Army Reserve. As a representative, Bien joins her local recruiters as they speak to potential candidates at college fairs and focuses on talking to the parents because most often, they can relate to someone who’s not in uniform.  

“I say look, I spent 30 years in the [Army Reserve] and I have my bachelors degree, master degree, and my law degree,” said Bien. “You can do all that and serve your country at the same time and get totally different skill sets.”

That kind of outreach has paid off for nearly two hundred scholarship recipients.

This year, the Army Reserve Ambassadors have been credited for bringing awareness to the Army Reserve Minuteman Scholarship program, and helping bring up the number of recipients for the scholarship from 34 in 2015 to 196 and counting this year.   

For most Ambassadors, including Vermont Ambassador John des Groseilliers, who has served as an Army Reserve Ambassador for over 10 years, said that the position is a way to give back to their communities and remember loved ones who also served.  

I became an Ambassador in memory of my father who served in World War II, stated des Groseilliers.

“It’s my way to give back to the men and women, who are willing to put their lives on the line if called to do so and for those who have,” added des Groseilliers.

To learn more about the Army Reserve Ambassador Program, visit http://www.usar.army.mil/Featured/Ambassador-Program/