COL Susan Gannon

Colonel Susan Gannon sat down with me for Heroes Live.

Commander of the 360th Civil Affairs Brigade. I still see the lieutenant from Officer Basic in 2003. Bright-eyed. A star. Captain Lee and I used to sit around and guess who would have trouble and who would do great. She was on the sure path.

Buffalo. Born in the city. Grew up just south of it. Small farming town. Six to eight thousand people. Whole family still up there. She left for Pittsburgh and never moved back. Always home though.

University of Pittsburgh on purpose. Close enough. Far enough. Bigger. She could not have spelled ROTC when she got there. No intention of the Army. A girl on the floor below was in the program. Still one of her closest friends. There were scholarships. Sue went to PT. That was the rest of it.

As a little girl she had no set plan. Maybe a lawyer. She likes to argue. The Army showed up and she did not have another plan. GWOT baby. Captains pinned at 36 months. She picked up major two years early. Reserves. Lieutenant colonel the day the list came out. Fast is not always good. She said that herself.

I saw the Avenger platoon picture. I saw the change of command pictures. Civil affairs does not sit around. She had been non-jumping for years on active duty. Then the unit put her back on airplanes. First jump in three years. Door opens and she thinks what am I doing up here. Then she is out and she is good.

Nineteen years in when we talked. She said she was not sure what to expect. She thanked us for the why. She said it did not surprise her. This is the Sergeant Marshall she knew eighteen years ago. She is already looking at the next nineteen.

Mom and dad in the pictures. A golden smile. She brought herself back to center. That is why we hit record. Get the story on tape before we are too old or too sick to tell it.