Army Captain Charles “Devin” Pearson (GHS ’06) grew up in a military family and knew he wanted to follow in the footsteps of his father, who served 27 years and his mother who served 22 years before they retired from the Air Force. Until he was 10 years old, Pearson lived the nomadic life of a military family. The appeal of travel is still with him.
While Pearson clearly knew his path, an unexpected obstacle put a kink in his plan to pursue a career in the Air Force. When recommended for a scholarship at the University of New Hampshire’s Air Force ROTC program, he failed the required military physical, due to a minor physical ailment he has had since a child. Pearson refused to quit. Pearson said, “At the time, we were at the height two wars in the Middle East, with surging troop levels.” While the Air force was not growing, the Army was. They offered him an Army ROTC scholarship and a medical waiver.
In May 2011, his mother administered the oath of office as Pearson was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army. Over the ensuing years, Pearson has also relied on his father’s good advice as a mentor. “Whenever I have needed help, I turn to my father’s 27 years of experience. While he served in a different branch, officership is officership, and military life doesn’t really change all that much between branches.”
Pearson began active duty in November 2011. Officer Basic course at Fort Lee, Virginia was followed by specialized training in Explosive Ordnance Disposal, a rigorous program with a 20% success rate. Pearson was one of many who did not pass, but in Army Strong fashion, again persevered. After a 12-month hazardous duty just a few miles from the Demilitarized Zone in South Korea, he returned stateside at Fort Gordon, Georgia, serving as the Executive Officer for a training Company.
A promotion to Captain in 2015, followed by further training, led to work in a new field at Fort Carson, Colorado where he served as operations planner in a Sustainment Brigade for the 4th Infantry Division. He said, “I planned and executed the deployment of the Brigade Headquarters to Texas and Puerto Rico as part of the Federal relief efforts for Hurricanes Harvey and Maria.” He then commanded an Ammunition Supply Company at Fort Carson, Colorado which is the only U.S. Soldier operated Ammunition Supply Point in the Continental United States.
Photo courtesy of Charles PearsonArmy Captain Charles (Devin) Pearson, shown with his wife Alison and daughter Eleanor, is currently serving his country while stationed in Germany.
This spring Pearson spent time in Paris while working on Logistics planning for the 75th D-Day Remembrance event held in Normandy in June. Pearson said, “Wherever soldiers go they need food, water, and a place to sleep. I helped plan and coordinate some of that to make sure our Soldiers participating in the ceremonies were fed and sheltered.” While in Paris, he watched from his hotel window as fire swept through Notre Dame cathedral. He said, “I was saddened to see such a beautiful piece of architecture and history destroyed like that.”
Pearson, currently stationed at Lucius D. Clay Kaserne in Wiesbaden, Germany, works in the Sustainment Operations Division G4. Its mission is to make sure the U.S. Army in Europe is prepared at all times by providing and overseeing integrated logistics policies, programs. He is currently doing site reconnaissance for a large joint exercise that will take place in 2020. He said, “As part of my current duties, I visit different sites we will be training at in order to identify and confirm that the Host Nation capabilities can support the U.S. Troops that will be training/operating there.” He also participated in a NATO partnership seminar hosted by the Bundeswehr, the German Armed Forces, spending a week working with his German peers on joint US/German operations. He has travelled to Paris, Normandy, Vilnius (capitol of Lithuania), Berlin and upcoming trips will include Poland, Romania, Hungary, Greece, or anywhere U.S. forces operate in Europe.
Pearson believes that the military is a good career option, as long as you have realistic expectations. He said, “Don’t think that you are going to spend every day jumping out of planes or shooting bad guys like in the movies and video games.” While there are many jobs in the military that equate to civilian careers, he advises, “Your best bet is to do the research to determine what is available and to choose something that translates well in the civilian world.” Another important tip, he added, “A recruiter is going to try to get you into a job that the Army needs filled at that time. If they don’t have openings for options you want, be patient and keep trying until your option opens up.”
Perhaps because of his nomadic life, Gorham holds a special place in Pearson’s heart. He loved growing up here and said, “It’s the only place I have ever really called home, the closest I have ever had to having roots.” He fondly remembers his high school Social Studies/History teacher, Mr. Caulfield. “I used to spend time after class talking with him. He was in the Marine Corps and we both loved history. We would talk about history, politics, and theory,” he said.
Pearson spends his limited spare time with his wife, Alison, and their nine month old daughter, Eleanor. He loves to hike, fish, canoe, kayak, travel and explore. He said, “I love traveling and exploring wherever I am stationed, it is always someplace new.”
Pearson is the son of Clinton Charles Pearson and Carol Ann Tyler. He can be reached at Charles.d.pearson.mil@mail.mil.