She took care of Soldiers, made sure they went to school, that they were promoted, and mentored them. "She was the best sergeant major I ever knew. Then she worked with a female sergeant major who changed her life. She now serves in the Army Reserve's 424th Multifunctional Medical Battalion, based in Newtown Square.Īlong the way she changed her goal to earning master sergeant, but still did not think about sergeant major. She has made it a goal to ensure that her unit achieves success. "With the downsizing, I switched to the Reserves, went to school for supply and was promoted to staff sergeant.ĭuring the past 10 years she served as a first sergeant and makes it a priority to mentor Soldiers. "I went to school for Non-Morse Signal Interceptor, was promoted to sergeant, got married and had my son (now 23)," she said. She started as a hospital food service specialist graduating from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and served in places like Fort Jackson, South Carolina, and Fort Sam Houston, Texas. She was 20 then, and had the relatively mild goal of retiring from the service as a staff sergeant. "But I wanted to see the world, to experience things in life that only the military could offer, so on July 10, 1985, I enlisted for active duty in the Army." "I was working in Salem Memorial Hospital as an emergency room clerk, registering patients and taking care of paperwork," said the materials handler supervisor. In the early-1980s, Edwina Best worked in a hospital in New Jersey, and although she liked her job, it just wasn't enough.