By DiVonta Palmer, Intern
Montgomery, AL- The late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr once said these words: “The time is always right to do what is right.” In life, we will face many challenges that will test us to either to do the right thing or the popular thing. Doing what is popular may be looked as the best route to go, but it isn’t. When you are doing what is right, you looked upon as a person of great credibility and accountability. There is a young woman who throughout her military and post military careers has strived to what is right and not what is popular. Her name is Mrs. Janice Harris, and she is a cybersecurity specialist at Gunter Air Force Base here in Montgomery. On behalf of Gumptown Magazine, we would to applaud this queen for taking a bold stand on doing the right things in spite of.
Mrs. Harris has a strong background in doing what she does. She is a retired Air Force veteran who served diligently for 28 years of faithful service and obtained the rank of Senior Master Sergeant. When asked if she was received by those she served with, she replied, “I had a lot of tribulations, but I kept my face toward God and did what I was supposed to do.” She goes on to say that with the rank came both frustration and responsibility, but that she willfully powered through it all.
Mrs. Harris has been at this position both while she served in the Air Force and now as a federal government civilian for a total of a little over 40 years. “I am still going strong,” she exclaimed when asked how she is doing this for so long. She is the unit training manager where she precures the training of the specialists that actually protect the Air Force internet which can be vender training or formal training with all the branches of the service. She has also been a helicopter mechanic, First Sergeant, and squadron superintendent all while serving.
Seeing that we are highlighting those unsung heroes and heroines in the wake of Black History Month, she said that she does not consider herself to be a hero but a fellow advocate for her fellow veteran brothers and sisters. “While it is nice to be recognized, I look at what I do as a calling to do something for our people. Any African American veteran who served in the military should know there are benefits out there they can get, and I am an advocate for that,” the three time Civilian of the year winner declared.
Mrs. Harris has done a whole of things, and she isn’t tired yet. She is both a living testimony and an inspiration to ones who aspire to be all they can be and don’t allow the frustrations of life keep you from accomplishing your goals. So again, we give her an applause and pray she will continue to do what has been called to do. Thank you, Mrs. Harris, and Godspeed!
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