Sgt. Maj.
Eric Nelson, U.S. Army (retired)
by PAULA
PORTEN
While
attending the North Andover Veterans
Day observances, I was privileged to
listen to guest speaker Sgt. Major Eric
Nelson.
Nelson is a retired U.S. Army officer of
24 years. he spent his first career in
the U.S. Army and is now spending his
second career working for Valley Works in
Lawrence helping other veterans find
jobs. During his speech to the North
Andover residents, Nelson talked about
honor, bravery, commitment, sacrifice and
what it means to be a soldier. These are
the values that make up a Valley
Patriot of the Month and that is
why we chose Sgt. Major Eric Nelson.
Eric Nelson was born on May 31, 1965 in
Lowell and is presently attending
University of Massachusetts in Lowell. He
anticipates graduating in 2011. Prior to
enrolling at UMass Lowell, Sgt. Major
Nelson had a distinguished military
career beginning in 1983 when he enlisted
in the U.S. Army. He joined the Army as a
Field Artillery Fire Support Specialist
and trained at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.
Upon completion of his training, Nelson
attended Airborne School at Fort Benning,
Georgia. He then joined the 82d Airborne
Division at Fort Bragg, NC from 1884 to
1987. From 1988 to 1999 he was part of
the 56th Medical Evacuation Battalion,
Air Ambulance at Fort Bragg and the 3rd
Military Intelligence Battalion. During
that time Nelson also flew numerous
combat missions in Saudi Arabia and Iraq
as an Aeroscout Observer Section Sergeant
during Operation Desert Shield and Desert
Storm.
In 2003, Sargeant Major Nelson was an
Aviation Mission Operations Manager for
the 4th Aviation Brigade stationed in
Baghdad, Iraq., During that mission, he
trained over 300 personnel on convoy
operations with no combat accidents or
injuries. He also led and managed a team
of 15 staff in an Operations Center
responsible for assigning missions and
tracking aircraft and ground vehicles
throughout area of responsibility, 24
hours per day.
He developed planned, and implemented
training on to track the movement of
2,000 personnel, 50 helicopters, and over
300 ground vehicles daily. Because of his
outstanding contribution during this
time, most notably through developing
realistic training that directly
influenced the combat success of the
organization, Nelson was warded the
Bronze Star Medal.
In 2004 Sergeant Major Nelson became a
Senior Aviation Trainer and Performance
Coach stationed at the Joint
Multinational Readiness Center in Europe
until 2007. During that time, he
facilitated workshops in community
leadership, led a team of 45 trainers and
experts and coached senior leadership.
For his contributions, Nelson was awarded
the Army Aviation Association of Americas
Order of Saint Michael Medal for
contributions in training and developing
future Army aviation leadership. He was
also recognized for the collaboration
with multi-national forces.
In 2007, Nelson received an honorable
discharge from the military and began
working at Valley Works Career Center in
Lawrence to help other veterans. He
continues to work there as the Local
Veterans Employment Representative
assisting veterans to find employment.
During his military career, Nelson
received numerous awards and decorations
that include: Air Medal (#2), Army
Commendation Medal (4 OLC), Army
Achievement Medal (3 OLC), Good Conduct
Medal (6th Award) National Defense
Service Medal (2), Southwest Asia Service
Medal (2 Bronze Service Stars),
Humanitarian Service Medal (#2), NCO
Professional Development Ribbon (#3),
Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service
Ribbon (#2), Kuwait Liberation
Medal(Saudi Arabia), Kuwait Liberation
Medal (Kuwait), Meritorious Unit
Commendation, Army Superior Unit Award,
Drivers Badge, Master Parachutist Badge,
Senior Aircraft Crewman Badge, and the
Turkish Parachutist Badge.
Nelson is married to the former Juliet
Elisa Wilson from the Canal Zone,
Republic of Panama. Juliet is also a
veteran.
The Valley Patriot is proud to be able to
honor such a man who was so willing to
sacrifice his life and the future
happiness of his family to defend this
country.
Thank you Eric Nelson for your service to
this nation and for the countless
contributions you have made to your
community. The debt that we owe you and
the men and women you served with is
immeasurable and can never be repaid.
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Copyright, Valley Patriot, Inc., 2009
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