Janet Little deployed to Europe, Middle East
MADISON – A native of Henderson, Tenn., Sergeant First Class Janet Little decided to join the military after completing one year of college.
“An Army recruiter kept calling me. Finally, I really wanted to travel and thought the Army would be a great adventure,” Little said. “I only thought that I would be in for the initial three-year enlistment and then go back to college. I never thought I would love it, but I did.”
She entered the Army in July 1984. “I departed Memphis, Tenn. and reported to Fort Jackson, S.C. for my basic training and Fort Benjamin Harrison, Ind. for Initial Entry Training. My Military Occupation Specialty was 75B, Personnel Specialist under the Adjutant General Corps,” Little said.
Little was assigned to Fort Rucker, 6th Aviation Training Battalion. She then deployed to Giessen, Germany with U.S. Military Command under 3rd Armored Division. At Fort Knox, Ky., she was Primary Leadership Development Instructor with NCO Academy.
In her next deployment, Little served with 7th Corps Support Group, BDE S1 NCOIC in Bamberg, Germany. Returning to the states, she worked as Senior Personnel Services NCO for 1-210th Aviation Regiment at Fort Rucker and later for 2-10th Aviation Regiment at Fort Drum, N.Y.
“Why all the Aviation units when I was in the AG Corps? Because I met a soldier, Mark Little, who worked on helicopters. We married, and he became a Warrant Officer,” she said.
Little’s training include Primary Leadership Development Course, Fort Benning, Ga.; Basic Noncommissioned Officer Course, Fort Benjamin Harrison; Advance Noncommissioned Officer Course, Fort Jackson, S.C.; NBC Course, Fort Knox; and Battle Staff Course, Fort Bliss, Texas.
Little also completed deployments to Hungary, Macedonia and Afghanistan.
She retired in August 2004 after returning from Afghanistan and declined her next promotion because she and Mark wanted another child. Upon retiring, she became Family Readiness Group leader for Mark’s company and he deployed.
“After Mark’s first tour to Afghanistan, we were reassigned to Redstone Arsenal. We wanted to retire here after Mark retired from the Army. We bought a house in Madison … because of the schools,” she said.
Their sons are Nathan, serving in U.S. Air Force at Nellis AFB in Nevada; Jacob, Bob Jones High School senior; and Noah, Rainbow Elementary School sixth-grader.
Janet is Rainbow PTA President and a merit badge counselor for Troop 350. “My biggest hobby is gardening. I could spend all day working with plants. My next goal is Master Gardener certification and volunteering at Huntsville Botanical Garden.”
