No Result
View All Result
Reserve & National Guard
SUBSCRIBE FREE
No Result
View All Result
Reserve & National Guard
SUBSCRIBE FREE
Reserve & National Guard

Guard officer honored with leadership award

Emily Marcason-Tolmie
by Emily Marcason-Tolmie
May 7, 2020

Maj. Jean Marie Kratzer was the only member of the National Guard awarded the Army’s Joint Women’s Leadership in Excellence Meritorious Service Award last summer at the Joint Women’s Leadership Symposium, an annual gathering of military women from all branches of service in Washington, D.C.  

“I am beyond grateful for the recognition,” Kratzer said. “It has been a busy decade for me. I’ve been away more than I’ve been home, but I have greatly enjoyed every stressful moment of it. The soldiers in the New York National Guard I have met and worked with have made it worth it.”  

Nominated by both one– and two–star generals for the award, Kratzer ranks receiving the honor from the Department of the Army as one of her proudest career achievements so far. She also cites working with a group of soldiers establishing the first mailroom in Syria for a U.S. military base and being a positive influence in the lives of her fellow soldiers.  

“As a woman soldier and an officer, a message I would share to other women wanting to join the Guard is: Every day you should feel empowered for the strong career choice you made,” she said. “In no way should it diminish our femininity, or our career choices, but remember to always be a little louder when you speak. It always catches the predominantly male audience in the room off guard.”  

Kratzer, a civilian employee of the Army National Guard, serves as the command information officer for the New York National Guard’s Public Affairs Office in Latham, New York. She is also the public affairs officer for the 42nd Infantry Division’s Headquarters and Support Company in Troy, New York. She has volunteered for her last two out of three deployments because she simply loves serving. Now, she is readying for a 2020 deployment to Kuwait, where she and her team will be overseeing all of the public affairs work for more than 10,000 soldiers in several different locations throughout the Middle East.   

“Our goal is to project a professional image of soldiers overseas, but also to instill trust, faith and confidence to our leadership and our families back at home,” she said.   

Back home for Kratzer is Upstate New York, where she grew up interested in the military. In addition to an aunt who served in the early 2000s, one of Kratzer’s biggest inspirations was her grandfather, who served more than 40 years in the Air Force before retiring as a senior master sergeant. His service spanned World War II, Korea and Vietnam.  

“Ever since I was a little kid I would see a military commercial and get chills,” she said.   

Before Kratzer’s father passed away when she was 7, he told her that God put her on Earth to help people. Keeping his message close to her heart, in 2007 Kratzer followed in the footsteps of her grandfather and aunt and enlisted in the Army Reserve as a chaplain’s assistant. She became an officer in 2010 after earning a commission through the Reserve Officers Training Corps.   

Kratzer has served as a platoon leader, public affairs officer, personnel officer, company commander, sexual assault response coordinator, equal opportunity officer and human resource operations branch chief. She conducts victim’s advocacy and counseling classes and equal opportunity training for New York Army National Guard units across the state.  

“I believe the Army has always been the perfect career path for me,” Kratzer said. “I have been able to lead and work with soldiers as a company commander, but nothing gives me more self-fulfillment than being there to support, help, and mentor young soldiers in the Guard.”  

When Kratzer enlisted she promised her mother she would earn a college degree. She graduated from St. John’s University with a degree in sociology with a minor in theology and Christian marriage counseling. She then earned her graduate degree from St. John’s University in criminology and criminal justice with a concentration in international social work and social development.  

“The Guard has shaped me to appreciate life — from showering with shower shoes to having the opportunity to see my family on a regular basis. This is my third deployment to the Middle East, but it has also showed me independence, discipline, love of country, lifetime friendships, and the opportunity to travel,” she said.   

Four New York Army National Guard soldiers who have qualified to be part of the National Guard 2019 Marathon Team are, from left, then-Capt. Jean Marie Kratzer, Maj. Nick Whaley, Maj. Matthew Kane, and Chief Warrant Officer 4 Thomas Grove. Photo by Sgt. Anna Pongo.

Through the Guard, Kratzer discovered one of her greatest loves: running. An accomplished and dedicated long-distance runner for nearly a decade, Kratzer is a member of the National Guard Marathon team, which boasts the top ranked 15 women soldiers in the entire country.  A self-proclaimed hyper person, Kratzer cites long-distance running as her best form of therapy.   

“I can run for hours and just let the time pass; let my mind wonder,” she said.   

For Kratzer, her teammates motivate her to run harder and faster than she could have ever imagined.   

“To find that core group of friends that can push you, motivate you, and help you be the best runner you can be – that’s what I found in my National Guard teammates,” she said. “My last marathon I came in second overall for women in my age group and my teammates finished, turned around and motivated me the last two miles. Honestly, can you find more positively influential and motivating friends than that?” 

Read comments
Tags: Army National GuardArmy ReserveJoint Women’s Leadership SymposiumMaj. Jean Marie KratzerNational GuardNational Guard Marathon teamROTC
Emily Marcason-Tolmie

Emily Marcason-Tolmie

Emily Marcason-Tolmie is a proud Navy wife, mama to two adorable little boys, writer and a prospect researcher at a small liberal arts college in Upstate New York. She loves living through the splendor of the seasons - even frigid snow-filled winters - at the foot of the Adirondack Mountains. When she isn't freelance writing, she is writing fiction. She won the Scintillating Starts Writers Advice Fiction Contest in 2019 and is published in Flash Fiction Magazine. Emily is a graduate of the prestigious New York State Summer Writers Institute. She earned her B.A. in Journalism from St. Michael's College and her M.A. in English and Creative Writing from Southern New Hampshire University.

Related Posts

Indiana soldier gives back to local food pantry, underprivileged children

by Elena Ferrarin
1 week ago
0
Timeless Toys

Owning Timeless Toys is not something Scott Friedland envisioned. Now, the Indiana Army National Guardsman uses his business to do...

Read more

Solid BBQ recipe, ‘Dad Bod Calendar’ turn Veterans Q into successful business

by Military.com
4 weeks ago
0
From the 2019 "Barbecue Boy Toys" Calendar. Courtesy of Steve Lulofs

Steve Lulofs has no formal business education. Everything he learned was a way to try something new, including creating a...

Read more

EANGUS provides opportunities for junior enlisted to engage with senior leaders

by Kari Williams
1 month ago
0
EANGUS

The 51st EANGUS Big Dam Conference will be held Aug. 7-10 in Little Rock at the Statehouse Convention Center, 101...

Read more

Former mortarman uses social media to raise awareness about mental health

by Jessica Manfre
2 months ago
0
Mortarman

A Marine veteran who served as a mortarman is using his viral success to bring attention to suicide prevention and...

Read more

From Journalist to Joe: A reporter’s improbable journey to military service

by Will Martin
2 months ago
0
Journalist

Sarah Blake Morgan’s career as a journalist was going about as well as one could hope. Unfortunately, she was kind...

Read more

From active duty to Amazon employee: Airman talks transition to new calling in reserves

by Nikki Davidson
3 months ago
0
Transition assistance

Master Sgt. Philip Berry, an Air Force reservist, discusses his transition from active duty and landing a job with Amazon.

Read more

Ads

Let's get social

The RNG Drill

News delivered directly to your inbox

Let's connect!

ABOUT US

  • OUR STORY
  • OUR TEAM
  • OUR WRITERS

MAGAZINE

  • GET PRINT
  • GET DIGITAL

GET RESOURCES

  • VETERAN TRANSITION GUIDE
  • MILITARY EDUCATION GUIDE

ADVERTISE

  • GET OUR MEDIA KIT
  • PUBLISHER’S STATEMENT

SUBMISSIONS

  • PITCH US
  • SUBMIT YOUR STORY

Never miss out on the latest stories.

© 2021 Reserve & National Guard by AmeriForce. Privacy Policy | Terms | Site by Swiss Commerce

Thank you for your interest in The Reserve & National Guard Magazine!

Thank you for your interest in The Reserve & National Guard Magazine!

No Result
View All Result
  • NEWS
  • YOUR CAREER
    • UNIT TRAINING
    • DEPLOYMENT
    • PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
    • ENTREPRENEUR
  • EDUCATION
  • MILITARY LIFE
    • MILITARY SPOUSES
    • MILITARY KIDS
    • TRANSITION
  • HEALTH
  • MONEY
  • TRAVEL
  • GET THE MAGAZINE
    • PRINT MAGAZINES
    • DIGITAL MAGAZINES
    • GET THE NEWSLETTER
  • RESOURCES
    • VETERAN TRANSITION GUIDE
    • MILITARY EDUCATION GUIDE
  • ABOUT US
    • MEET OUR TEAM
    • OUR AUTHORS
    • ADVERTISE WITH US
    • SUBMIT YOUR STORY
    • PITCH US
    • CONTACT

© 2021 Reserve & National Guard by AmeriForce. Site by SCBW