1SG (R) Bianna Yeager

1SG (R) Bianna Yeager sat down with me for Heroes I Know. Ninety-six minutes. She retired a first sergeant out of a master sergeant seat.

Born in Sycamore, Illinois. Little farm town. Then the suburbs of Chicago. Schaumburg High. Little Chicago. Street lights. Bicycles. In the woods until the light came on.

First assignment, South Korea. Certified in the van. Number one ECS crew, Echo Battery, six months. RTEP. Bromberg was a lieutenant colonel then. Back in the states they started the transition to 14 Echo and 14 Tango doing their own launcher maintenance.

PLDC instructor. NCO Academy, Building Two. She helped move it down from the hill. Heather Smith standing next to her. Heather said she was going to OCS. Sergeant Major Wilbur V. Adams, the Bear, walked up. What would it take for you to stay in the NCO corps. She went for broke. Airborne school. Fort Bragg. He said be careful what you wish for, little girl. She said bring it.

They sent her to airborne school. They would not send her to the CADE. Females don't go. She had the wings anyway. Brand new sergeant, they needed a female instructor. Point of contention. She taught. She wanted to know more than a name and a PT score. Families. Likes. Dislikes.

Germany. Then Bliss. A month and a half in a hotel while 11th Brigade decided which battalion. Captain's career course. OBC. Thank you, Top. That is why we hit record. Get the story on tape before we are too old or too sick to tell it.