Veteran for Life:
Marian Phyllis Blackburn

U.S. Army Reserves
1982-1993
Supply Specialist/Administrative Specialist/Quartermaster Officer

To this day as I serve the best customers in the world, as I have for 24 years, I have troops from that era, most retired now, say they remember me from Desert Shield-Storm.

I proudly served in the Army Reserves, working in various ranks and positions. I held many additional duties.  I was an E1 to an E5 for five years, which included my unit work in Nebraska as a supply specialist, an administrative specialist and supporting an Army Reserve school in Colorado and performing recruiting duty in Western Nebraska.

In 1986, I attended Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning and received my commission as an officer. In 1987, I received my Quartermaster Branch at Fort Lee, Va.

The years after this found me in positions and additional duties that included S-4 supply section officer, HQ detachment commander, nuclear biological and chemical warfare officer, and logistics officer running a dining facility on Honduras.

The highlight of my Reserve career was as platoon Leader and supply operations officer in Operation Desert Shield/Storm in Saudi Arabia. My brother, Marty, who is pictured with me, was one of the 120,000 or so troops we supported daily at our logistics base.

Seeing my active duty brother and supporting his unit which trucked supplies to our supply yard, was very special in this type of a situation.

To this day as I serve the best customers in the world, as I have for 24 years, I have troops from that era, mostly retired now, say they remember me from Desert Shield-Storm.