Despite her family having a long military legacy, Coffee County native Sierra Lewellen was the first female in her family to serve in the military.
Lewellen grew up in Jack and was a graduate of Zion Chapel High School. Both of her grandfathers, great grandfathers, father and brother all served in the military in a number of different branches. That love for the military was passed on to her.
“I loved the military,” Lewellen emphasized. “I wanted to join because I loved the military and I wanted to travel and I wanted that stability that the military provides.”
Lewellen had one grandfather that served in the Korean War and another that served in the Vietnam War. After graduating high school, Lewellen immediately decided to join the military and initially wanted to serve in the medical field, like her father and brother.
“I went in initially for medical but that was a six month or longer wait and I wanted to get out and see the world immediately,” Lewellen recalled. “I scored high enough on the ASVAB. I was (a part) of the one of the first classes in my (military occupation specialist code). It’s a very male-dominated MOS.”
Lewellen served as a 14J Air Defense C41 Tactical Operations Center Enhanced Operator Maintainer guiding missiles in combat. After graduating basic training, she spent two years on duty in South Korea, before being deployed to Dubai and then to Jordan.
“My action was different than ‘regular’ action,” Lewellen said. “I dropped bombs. All my (action) was computer-based action I guess you could say.”
Lewellen said that as much as she respected front line soldiers, her intention was not to serve on the frontline.
“I knew if I saw hand-to-hand combat something had gone really wrong,” she said. “Some people love (serving on the front line) but it just wasn’t what I wanted to do.”
Lewellen said that she loved her time serving in combat.
“When I was in I absolutely loved it,” she emphasized. “I knew what I was doing and I believed in the mission behind it.
“I knew that I was protecting other people, so I absolutely loved it. I also wasn’t a mother then, either. I loved the people I was with and I loved what I was doing, though.”
After two deployments, Lewellen was medically retired after a medical issue put an end to her active military career. Despite her early retirement, Lewellen had her education paid for as she graduated from Temple University and her son’s education will also be paid for.
Lewellen returned to Coffee County following her college and military career and raises her son Brycen in Enterprise where she currently serves as a loan officer with All In Credit Union.
That stability is something she says would make her urge any young person thinking about joining the military to do so.
“I love the military,” she reiterated. “The stability job-wise and family-wise is something that’s really important.
“It is a very stable and lucrative career for someone. If I would have been able to stay in I would have been able to retire with a full paid retirement at 38 (years old). (My son) Brycen has his education paid for he has insurance (because of the military). I love the military. I also love the patriot aspect of it, too. We’re protected over here because of the people protecting us over there.”
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