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1st Theater Sustainment Command


News Stories

Civilian uses life lessons to continue helping First Team Soldiers

By Spc. Kaylee Harris | 1st Theater Sustainment Command | September 18, 2020

FORT KNOX, KY --

Barbara Wright developed resiliency, a strong work ethic, and a love for supporting Soldiers long before joining the First Team.

Wright, a Marine veteran and military spouse, serves as the assistant to the command group for the Special Troops Battalion, 1st Theater Sustainment Command, and has contributed to military readiness in multiple ways throughout her career.

“If I don’t know the answer, I’m going to find that answer,” Wright said.

In her current position, Wright is responsible for ensuring daily operations within the battalion under the two-star command run smoothly by scheduling events and meetings, allowing the STB commander, executive officer, and senior enlisted advisor freedom to focus their attention on the mission.

“Mrs. Wright is a quiet professional, someone who works hard and diligently,” said Lt. Col. Brian Kibitlewski, commander, STB, 1st TSC. “She is a key component to the battalion staff, ensures that we are all synchronized and understand what our jobs and tasks are on a daily basis.”

Wright’s dedication to duty is not solely derived from her prior service in the Marine Corps, but also values from a father who instilled in her the importance of an honest day’s work as well as through the support system she developed for a loved one over the past three decades.

“I don’t think a person could ever stop learning,” Wright said. “I don’t think someone ever knows everything there is to know about their job, even as a secretary or an administrative assistant, there’s always more.”

Growing up, her father taught her and her sisters that one must always strive to be the best, no matter the circumstances. Wright never forgot this advice, and always strives to put her best foot forward.

Shortly after joining the Marine Corps 33 years ago, Wright met her future husband, Maj. Bryan Thomas Wright, changing life as she knew it. They both decided to attend college and pursue bachelor’s degrees in Biblical Studies, bringing them closer together.

“I am a person who loves her country with her entire heart. I love seeing that flag wave. It’s the most beautiful sight in the world,” Wright expressed. “I love my husband with all my heart, I would follow him anywhere.”

Wright added that she believes the most challenging aspect of the military lifestyle and marriage is the added communication that has to be present.

“You begin to miss simple things, like watching TV together, when your partner is on deployment,” she said, showing her understanding of the hardships some military families endure while serving.

Bryan Wright added that one strong point they share is a close friendship that has also helped them to develop a deep trust and ability to know that they have each other’s best interests in mind.

“I hear a lot that deployments wreck marriages; we have found the opposite. Barb’s care and love for the Soldiers and families keeps her fully engaged during deployments. I have always appreciated her in this area,” he said. “Our faith is an obvious factor with our trust and marriage. The combination of love of God, country and Corps is the foundation of it all. It is something we both learned years ago as Marines and we continue to this day.”

While supporting her husband during his years of active duty service as a chaplain, she also served as a Family Readiness Group leader at various duty stations he was assigned.

“It’s just taking a genuine interest in people no matter how brief the moment,” Wright stated. “You can make somebody smile or make their day a little better with a smile or comment, and you lose nothing by doing so.”

Wright lives by the value of compassion, which she incorporates in her work with the First Team. Through her Biblical studies in college, she learned how powerful helping others can be for an organization, which adds to her joy of helping Soldiers and watching them put their best feet forward.

“I want to be the best person I can be, that my husband respects me, my family and friends respect me, and that the God of my faith respects me and that I’m honoring all those things,” she concluded.