SFC Adams retires after 29 years in Army

Sergeant First Class Steven Adams has retired after a 29-year career in the U.S. Army.

SFC Adams retired on Jan. 8 in a ceremony at Fort McClellan near Anniston, Ala. He was joined in the ceremony by his mother, Goldie Adams, of Red Oak, and other members of his family.
SFC Adams began his military career in August 1994 with the 31st Combat Engineer Company in Fayette, Ala. He attended basic training at Fort Knox, Ky., in November 1994, before moving on to the Aberdeen Proving Grounds near Aberdeen, Md., for his Advanced Individual Training in January 1995.

In September of 1995, Adams came back to the Company C 200th Combat Engineer Battalion as a power generation equipment repairer, before being transferred in 1996 to Company D 145th Combat Engineer Battalion.
In 1999, Adams went to Company C 877th Engineer Battalion Combat Heavy and in 2001, became a heavy wheeled vehicle mechanic. From 2003-04, Adams served in Operation Iraqi Freedom attached to the 101st Airborn Division stationed at AO Glory in Mosul, Iraq. Adams worked the northern half Iraq on missions as a 91B and H8 recovery operator.

Following his time in Iraq, Adams returned to Fayetteville, Ala, To the 168th Engineer Company where the heavy wheeled vehicle maintenance role was converted to Army wheeled vehicle mechanic and recovery vehicle operator.
From 2009-10, Adams took part in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, attached to the 10th Mountain Division. Adams worked at Forward Operation Base Shank as a 91Bravo, and was later transferred to Bagram Air Force Base with the Mine Action Center, working with a minefield clearance platoon.

In July of 2013, Adams transferred to the 158th Support Maintenance Company as the support maintenance non-commissioned officer, section sergeant and later, platoon sergeant. His last transfer before retirement was in May of 2020, to Fort McClellan as a maintenance supervisor.