Decorated Army civilian set to retire

FORT DRUM — Judith L. Gentner, the deputy to the garrison commander known for the past 14 years for dealing with challenges of growth on post, will retire next month.

The 1,500 civilians she manages oversee safety, morale and infrastructure for one common goal — to support soldiers and their families.

"A happy family unit helps a soldier so he can concentrate on the mission," she said.

Members of the community have seen her in the same light she sees soldiers.

"You're talking about somebody who has dedicated her life and has committed herself to her profession and the civilian work force," said Carl A. McLaughlin, executive director of the Fort Drum Regional Liaison Organization.

In her first year, her work force shrank by half, and, since she arrived, the soldier population has almost doubled.

"It's a whole different installation than what it was in 1997," she said. "War has changed everything."

She has been instrumental in the development of housing on and off post, as well as implementing a program that allows farmers to keep their land for farming near the installation's boundaries while deterring development that would whittle down training land in a time of war, Mr. McLaughlin said.

Army Secretary John M. McHugh awarded her with the Decoration for Exceptional Civilian Service for service to soldiers and their families.

Her accomplishments came as no surprise to Richard A. Babbitt, a retired colonel who was garrison commander in 1997. He is now chief financial officer of the Johnson Newspaper Corp., publisher of the Watertown Daily Times.

"She did it all," he said. "That's why we hired her."

Mrs. Gentner has spent more than three decades as an Army civilian. Almost half of that time was spent in Germany.

In her time here, she has worked with seven garrison commanders and seven commanding generals of the 10th Mountain Division.

"I would say she trained seven garrison commanders," Col. Kenneth H. Riddle — who was garrison commander from 2008 to 2010 — said by telephone from Afghanistan, where he is serving with the division's headquarters battalion. "Having somebody that strong maintaining the continuity is very critical."

She was the go-to person for any issues that would arise on post, he said.

Mrs. Gentner credits the help of the community and remembers being struck by how many American flags she saw on homes when she arrived. She quickly learned the community supported its soldiers — a critical attribute for a post with no schools or hospital of its own.

"The north country has embraced Fort Drum," she said. "They've taken great care of soldiers and families."

The Colorado native plans to stay in Watertown with her husband, Frederick W.

"We are north country transplants," she said. "We are. We're converts."

Mrs. Gentner said she is very thankful to her staff for their help and said they find rewards for their jobs quite easily.

"You just have to walk outside in the hallway and see a soldier and we know why we're doing this," she said.