4'11" Army Recruit Overcomes Small Stature to Be Leader
Montgomery Advertiser | Dec 29, 2014 | by Rebecca Burylo
Twenty-year-old Marie Sabillo, an enlisted Army recruit and a BrewTech graduate, had a rough start in military basic training, but her sights are aimed at earning four stars.
She is already on her way to becoming a leader.
Sabillo was previously featured in the Montgomery Advertiser when she was one of six selected from across the country to serve as an officer in the Technology Student Association at the age of 17. In that role, she acted as a communicator between national, local and state levels of TSA.
Now, as an enlisted soldier in the Alabama National Guard, Sabillo continues to use communication and volunteerism to speak on military boards and help drill sergeants organize the troops; first as a platoon guide, then as a company guide and now as a soldier leader.
"What I think I like most about taking on leadership roles is that I can see other people who can relate to me and can understand me and they can trust my input. I just like helping other people," Sabillo said.
Sabillo reports to Alpha Company, 711th Brigade Support Battalion, located in Atmore, Ala. She is the automated logistic specialist and helps her unit order supplies and drive trucks. She joined the military just two days after graduating from Brewbaker Technology Magnet School in 2012.
After enjoying her Christmas break in Montgomery, Sabillo will finish her freshman year studying mathematics at Alabama State University. She plans to join ROTC there in her junior year.
Sabillo did not think she would follow in her mother's footsteps, who served in the Army National Guard for seven years. In fact, Sabillo was unsure her physical build would allow her to complete the demands of basic training.
At 4-foot-11-inches and weighing 100 pounds, Sabillo had a difficult time building up her stamina and strength in order to pass the Physical Training portion of the nine-week training. In her first attempt to run two-miles, one of the military's PT requirements, she finished in over 20 minutes. She had to make it under 19.
Sabillo's mother, Barbara Brown, encouraged her daughter to consider the military as a career path and asked a recruiter to visit BrewTech. Their family has a long history of military service.
"After talking to a recruiter, I thought it would be really good for college and would help with build character in general," Sabillo said. "I wanted to go into the Army because I wanted to seek the adventure of the outdoors. I knew it would be harder on the body because I'm so small, but I felt like it was better for me."
She was right. The training was difficult and in the process Sabillo suffered from a grade-three stress injury to her thigh bone in her sixth week. She was sent home to recover.
"I did not want to come home, but the commander insisted," Sabillo said. "While I was here I had to undergo physical therapy to make sure I could go back to training ... So when I went the second time I decided to do whatever it takes. I was going to take advantage of every opportunity."
Her determination promoted her to the next rank, earned her dozens of awards, provided leadership responsibilities and allowed her to finish her two-mile run in 16 minutes.
Now, her story and her image are shared by recruiting offices in the area to draw others from BrewTech into considering military service.
Sabillo is honored to be such a role model for others.
"It definitely makes me feel good, but honestly the reason I was able to achieve those is because my instructors and my drill sergeants saw potential in me. They told me they saw a great leader in me so they were trying to train me in that way," Sabillo said. "When I speak with other people and they say they're too scared to join or they're too unsure of the training, I say, 'Look at me, I'm so tiny, but I was able to get through it twice. Why don't you try?' "
http://www.military.com/daily-news/2014/12/29/army-recruit-overcomes-small-stature-to-be-leader.html?comp=700001075741&rank=4
