Changes in Army evident in recruiting command

Sgt. 1st Class Twarog Center Leader for Goldboro SAC (2G)

Story and Photo by 

Shahron L. James

Public Affairs Specialist

Raleigh Recruiting Battalion

As the Army opens up all jobs to female soldiers, Sgt. 1st Class Desiree Twarog has had an experience implying some of the future changes.  

Sgt. 1^st Class Desiree Twarog has had a unique experience as a Recruiting Center Commander.  Being meritoriously promoted, she wore the rank of Staff Sgt. while leading Soldiers that outranked her and were from jobs that, until recently, only permitted males.  

“All of my soldiers are combat arms and were in jobs that were previously closed to women and had to take leadership from a woman of equal rank, but my Soldiers never looked at me differently,” she said.  

Sgt. 1^st Class Twarog has 10 years of active duty service and 2 years in the Army Reserves.  She has a bachelor’s degree in Criminology from Fordham University.  After graduation from Fordham she went on active duty in the United States Army as a 31B Military Police Officer. She is currently working on her Master’s in Business Administration from Post University.  

As Recruiting Commander, Sgt. 1^st Class Twarog has held her position for 3 ½ years and continues to serve as a 79R. 

“For a long time I was the only female center leader in the Raleigh Recruiting Battalion. I didn’t get treated any differently. I worked as hard as the other leaders and even though I was the lowest ranking, I have always been treated fairly and equally,” she said

When asked how the male Soldiers reacted to her rare situation she said, “My peers didn’t make me feel inferior because I was a staff sergeant. This command makes sure everything is based on performance and how well you lead.”

Sgt. 1^st Class Twarog explains that working with an all-male staff allowed her to break any preconceived notions or stigmas associated with being weak or inferior to her male counterparts. She stated that she was glad that many of the Soldier’s first encounter of female leadership was with a woman in the Army.  

“The highlight of my career has been working with Non-Commissioned Officers (NCOs and being able to assist them in any way I can.  Recruiting is demanding, but I lead a troop of hard chargers,” she said.  

Sgt. 1^st Class Twarog says that her role in support of the NCOs under her command is to help them in their careers and to provide assistance for them in meeting recruiting goals. 

“Working with the NCOs and being able to help them with their careers is one of my top priorities. Recruiting can be stressful and I want to continue to help Soldiers advance. All of my NCOs do things that they are not getting credit for, like buying shoes for homeless children and other activities in the community. It is my duty to acknowledge them and to make them known anyway I can,” she said. 

I asked Sgt. 1^st Class Twarog what is the one thing she would like to say to females who are entering into jobs previously held by only men.  

“Thank you - good for you. I am sure they could give me some words of wisdom for going into something that has never been done. The Army is going through so many changes right now and that is awesome. I believe that allowing women into these jobs is probably the most positive and controversial aspect of the changes the Army is making,” she said.