Growth Through Service The Story of Andrea Wallbank
Service photo of Andrea Wallbank. Photo submitted.
Growth Through Service The Story of Andrea Wallbank
Steven Reneau
Jobe Publishing
Andrea Wallbank, born Andrea Anthony, was born in Columbus Ohio in 1977. She was a wild child, and as she grew older she found that her life lacked any real direction.
Deciding that she needed more discipline and direction, she made a decision that would change her life forever. She decided to enlist in the United States Army.
While in the Army, Andrea traveled a lot.
“I did my training for basic at Fort Jackson and did AIT at Aberdeen Proving Grounds, and then went on to Ft. Sill,” Wallbank said. “I was stationed in Oklahoma, and I did field training exercises every quarter to places like 29 Palms, White Sands missile range, and NTC missile range, as well as Fort Hood.”
Wallbank was in the Army 226 Maintenance Company under 3 Corp. Artillery and was a 52c10, Utilities Equipment Repairer. She, and others, kept the heat and air for the signal and first aid units going and charged the fire extinguishers for the MLRS rocket launchers. These were unique and exciting opportunities she would not have had if she did not enlist.
Wallbank went into the Army in 1996. Four years into her service, she had made plans to head to South Korea and then Germany. However, when her mother got sick, she decided to return home. So, in 2000 she came home to care for and provide for her mother. She did the last four years of her eight year contract on call from home.
She said her experiences were both great and very challenging, which meant they were never boring. It was clear she had learned a lot from the Army.
“I learned life skills in being adaptable to change, patience, and leadership skills, which lead me into management,” Wallbank said.
The skills she learned in the Army were invaluable, and when she came home she quickly found herself in a management position at the Five Star service station on Main Street in Glasgow. She is also very active with the youth through her church, Harlow’s Chapel Baptist Church.
“I try to teach all my employees and the youth at church that no day is complete until you have learned something new,” Wallbank said.
When asked about her time in the Army she said, “It was a wonderful experience and I recommend it to anyone not ready to establish roots yet. I definitely found the growth and inner strength I was looking for. That and God have gotten me through a lifetime worth of experiences in 43 years of life with a lot more to go.”
