Greg Besaw This is Me

Education

 Web References

1. 1. Army Supply Sergeant Hits the Books Across Oceans and Deserts

   www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/sto - [Cached]

   Published on: 4/20/2004   Last Visited: 4/20/2004

   AL-KUT, Iraq, April 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Greg Besaw knows he'll serve many -- sometimes too many -- customers in a day. Supplying everything from clothing to office equipment, Besaw will juggle his stock-on-hand with the demands of time-pressured customers who are frequently under a great deal of stress.
   
   At the end of another demanding day, Besaw doesn't kick back for a night of television or drinking with his buddies. He becomes a college student at American Military University (AMU). And he does what thousands of other students do. He gets ready to study, hunkering down with his laptop and textbooks.
   
   As a U.S. Army supply sergeant stationed here, a few hours southeast of Baghdad, Besaw doesn't study to "free" himself from his day job. He learns so that he can better serve the soldiers in his unit.
   
   Staff Sgt. Besaw studies online at AMU, where he is majoring in Transportation and Logistics Management. His studies and military experience recently paid off with a promotion to Warrant Officer Supply Systems Technician. He'll head to Warrant Officer Candidate's School within six months.
   
   Besaw's office is a desk in a shipping container. There, he manages and issues supplies ranging from flashlights to vehicles. While stationed recently in Baghdad, he convoyed several times a week to other camps or to Baghdad International Airport to pick up or turn in inventory. Along the way, his group hoped to avoid "IEDs" -- improvised explosive devices. Other hazards of a combat-zone job include sporadic mortar rounds dropping into camp, and small arms fire and grenade attacks on the supply convoys.
   
   But Besaw is clearly committed to his work -- wherever it takes him -- and he accepts the challenges that come with the territory.
   
   "I want to make sure the people in my unit always have what they need to do their job, which is a lot tougher than mine," Besaw says. "I don't ever want a soldier to be without what he or she needs to stay alive. I always want to be the 'go-to' guy in whatever job I do," Besaw says.
   
   Iraq isn't the first hotspot in which he has served. During a six-month deployment to Kosovo in 2002, Besaw restructured supply management to speed order fulfillment, decrease inventory, and begin on-base delivery -- at the same time reducing staff overtime and customer complaints. He has also served in Bosnia.
   
   He credits his AMU courses with giving him a good historical background as well as delivering immediately useful knowledge. "The courses I've taken in my major have given me a broader understanding of logistics and distribution," Besaw says. "I definitely plan to retire as a warrant officer." AMU also provides a grant for all textbooks, which are shipped free anywhere in the world.
   
   Besaw is less than 27 hours away from a bachelor's degree. "The Army's 100 percent tuition assistance and AMU's convenience have made it possible for me to complete a BA in about four years despite being on active duty and averaging 180 to 200 days a year deployed or training away from home."
   
   "Portable learning" is extremely important for soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines and members of the Coast Guard, whose orders and assignments are subject to change.
   
   The past two years have been "a bit rough" for his wife of 11 years, Besaw admits. He's been home only eight non-consecutive months since 2002.