The Nevada Army National Guard’s first two combat-occupation females, Spc. Cindy Robles and Pfc. Brittany Sears, recently completed their demanding annual training with the 609th Engineer Company.
The two female soldiers were among the 90 Sappers in the unit who spent two weeks in July honing combat engineering skills at Camp Guernsey, Wyoming. The training included 36 hours without sleep to test the soldiers’ determination when fatigued.
Robles, 22, of Reno, is originally from Mexico and attended Sunrise Mountain High in Las Vegas. She currently studies environmental science at the University of Nevada, Reno.
Sears, 19, graduated in 2016 from Galena High School in Reno. She looks forward to pursuing a career in the military and following in the footsteps of her mother, Nevada Army Guard Maj. Tammy Sparkes, and father, Daniel Sears, a Marine Corps veteran.
“I met Pfc. Sears before she shipped out and gave her a heads up just to make sure she knew what she was getting into,” said Staff Sgt. Craig Kenison, the unit’s readiness sergeant. “Before she got here, she had a bit of the idea she would be working hard — and she did great.”
Weeks of efforts
For Sears, the path to becoming a full-fledged combat engineer with the 609th took 10 weeks of basic combat training and six weeks of advanced individual training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri.
Her pioneering journey to become one of the first combat women in the Nevada Army Guard began with her choice of military occupation specialty.
“I wanted to be out patrolling or doing something other than sitting at a desk. We get to do demolition, so that was a big selling point,” Sears said.
The training exceeded the soldiers’ expectations. Sears said it was tough but fun. She said she got to know the other soldiers in her unit far better than she would have during a normal three-day drill.
Military service
Robles is the first person in her family to join the military. She said her favorite part of combat engineering is building obstacles to block enemy advances. She noted her fellow soldiers in the 609th help her get the most out of her abilities.
“They push me to my limits and expect even more than what I expect from myself,” Robles said.
“Robles has impressed me at every turn of our training and she never complains about anything. She’s here to do her job and that’s what she does,” Kenison said.
Robles aspires to go to Sapper School, a month-long course to become one of the elite among combat engineers. She has already proven to be a key asset to the 609th because of her original MOS as a motor transport operator. Her experience as a motor transport operator has revealed her to be an expert in all topics related to the unit’s vehicles, but her expertise and leadership isn’t limited to the motor pool.
“She came up to me the first day and showed me the ropes,” Sears said. “She has helped me out a lot. She’s somebody I look at as what I want to be because she’s one of the toughest females I’ve met. I’ve never seen anyone ‘into’ their job like Robles.”
During the Barack Obama presidency, Defense Secretary Ash Carter lifted all gender-based restrictions on military service in January 2016, opening the Nevada Army Guard jobs of combat engineer (12B), indirect fire infantryman (11C), fire support specialist (13F) cavalry scout (19D) and armor crewman (19K) to women.
Anyone interested in combat military occupations – including female Nevada Army Guard soldiers seeking reclassification – can call 775-887-7372 for information.
Jonnie Riley is a private with the 106th Public Affairs Detachment