Photo by Alex McVeigh Staff Sgt. Mackenson Romulus

Q: Describe your job.
A: Supporting the joint base commander, managing the calendar, coordinating with the staff, serving as a liaison between a diverse team of directorates and personalities.

I also handle resolution of day-to-day administrative jobs, like scheduling and coordinating meetings, interviews and appointments.

Q: What is the most challenging and rewarding part?
A: It’s challenging to a point where no day is the same. There’s a high OPTEMPO, and everyday is different.

I must be two steps ahead of everyone else, always thinking forward. It’s just as important to know what to expect as what not to expect, there’s a lot of reverse planning involved, to counter react to anything that could happen.

The most rewarding part is getting to work with the commander (Col. Carl R. Coffman), the sergeant major (Command Sgt. Maj. Jefferson Varner III, Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall command sergeant major) and the rest of the staff.

Q: How is it different working with civilians and military as opposed to just military?
A: I’m coming from an operational unit at Fort Lewis [Wash.], where I was the assistant battalion S-1.

It was a similar job, but I dealt more with Soldiers. I deal with both civilians and Soldiers here, and Fort Lewis was mostly Soldiers, so I’m learning the civilian protocols here.

I like learning about both, learning the aspects of what it is to be a civilian working for the military. But we are all one team.

Q; Is there a place you’d like to be assigned in the future?
A: No specific place, I’ll go wherever the Army needs me. That’s what makes us such a versatile force in what we do every day.

Q: Where are you from originally?
A: New York City. It was always rush, rush, rush there, everyone is moving much faster than you. You have to be fast in your thought process.

Q: How has always thinking ahead affected you as a Soldier?
A: In New York, I learned to be two or three steps ahead of everyone else, and that has really helped me here and as a Soldier overall.

You have to lead from the front, and it’s helped me develop myself as a leader.

Q: What’s your philosophy as an NCO?
A: Be a great leader. Not a good leader, a great leader. Be, know, do.

I had an NCO, Master Sgt. James Lewis, who is my mentor. He was very tough on me, but he always wanted us to be not only knowledgeable, but to have the educational background to support it.

If you walk the talk, don’t say one thing and do the other. Also be enthusiastic about what you do.

Master Sgt. Lewis always told me, ‘‘Be confident, be passionate and get an education.”

Q: What do you like to do in your free time?
A: I do Tae Kwon Do, other than that, I’m pretty busy with homework. I’m about to finish my MBA, and once that’s completed, I’m going to look at some doctoral programs in business.

Q: What is your view on the role of education in a Soldier’s life?
A: It’s important, it’s really important. It all goes back to being knowledgeable and being functional.

If you’re well educated, you can handle almost any situation that comes up. Army strong!