Army Service became a Path to Growth, Purpose and Impact

When Sgt. 1st Class Serena Belanger talks about why she joined the Army, she begins her story by talking about character.

Growing up in San Diego, California, Belanger watched the lasting impact military service had on her father, a retired Marine. She grew up observing the discipline, focus, steadiness and the ability to carefully think through complicated situations that military service had instilled in him.

Those qualities stayed with her and shaped one of the biggest decisions of her life.

After high school, Belanger enlisted in the U.S. Army, setting out on a path that would challenge, shape and eventually lead her to U.S. Army Human Resources Command, where she now serves as an Adjutant General Soldier.

Looking back, she still sees that decision as one of the best ones she ever made.

“I’ve been in the Army for 16 years,” she said. “I love it. It’s great.”

That simple statement carries years of experience; years of learning, change, deployments, physical demands, professional growth and service to other Soldiers. It also reflects something deeper about her career. For Belanger, the Army did not just provide a job. It provided structure, identity, purpose and a way to become the kind of person she wanted to be.

Belanger’s father encouraged her to look closely at the Army even though he had been a Marine himself.

“My dad was a Marine, and I just saw a lot of good qualities in him that he gained from the service. So, I thought it would be a good step for myself as well to join the Army,” Belanger said. “He said overall the Army is going to have just more opportunities because it’s a bigger branch.”

It was practical advice, and it resonated. Belanger chose the Army, believing it would give her room to grow and more options for the future. She enlisted in her hometown of San Diego soon after high school and began building a career that has now spanned more than a decade and a half.

Her mother, who had never served, worried about what Army life might mean for her daughter. But even in that worry, there was acceptance in knowing Belanger had made her choice.

“She was definitely worried, but she knew she couldn’t really stop me,” she remembered with a smile.

Belanger chose to enlist in the Adjutant General Corps, a field she chose in part because of its long-term practicality. From the start, she saw it as a profession that could translate well beyond military service as human resources offered a set of skills that seemed safe, useful and transferable to the civilian world.

“It looked like a job that could transfer to the civilian world,” she said.

Over the years, Belanger discovered that AG work offered more than practical value. It gave her a way to directly shape Soldiers’ experiences in the Army. A testament and defining theme of her career.

For Soldiers arriving at a new unit, human resources professionals are often among the first people they meet. Those early interactions matter. A helpful, competent and organized in-processing experience can set the tone for how a Soldier understands a unit, its standards and its culture. Belanger learned that HR work is not merely administrative. At its best, it is personal. It can affect how a Soldier feels seen, supported and welcomed.

“You get to be the face of the unit in a way,” she said. “When a Soldier in-processes, you’re one of the first to welcome them into that unit and to be the one to give them that impression of what this unit is like.”

For Belanger, that has always been one of the most meaningful parts of the job. AG Soldiers may not always be
the most visible people in a formation, but their work reaches nearly every part of a Soldier’s career and life.

Personnel actions, records maintenance, accountability, in-processing and career documentation all carry real consequences. When done well, that work helps Soldiers move forward. When done poorly, it can create frustration and setbacks.

Belanger has long understood that reality, and it is one reason she takes such pride in what she does.

“I like that you directly impact people’s experiences and careers in the Army,” she said.

That sense of purpose has given her staying power, never once doubting her decision to become an AG soldier.

The branch has offered exactly the kind of balance she values, a true profession within the Army, one that allows her to build expertise while still living the broader identity of a Soldier.

“At the end of the day, we’re all still Soldiers,” she said. “It’s kind of a good balance of being a profession in your job, but also still working on those basic Soldier skills.”

That dual identity matters to Belanger. She is not only a human resources professional, but she is also a Soldier, and she speaks about the Army’s physical demands not as a burden, but as one of the gifts service has given her.

When she first joined, the Army Physical Fitness Test emphasized endurance, and she thrived in that environment. Running came naturally, and for much of her early service, that was enough to do well.

“With the APFT, I found that test was pretty easy,” Belanger said. “You really just had to be good at running,”

But the Army changed, and so did the test. The arrival of the Army Combat Fitness Test forced many Soldiers to rethink what readiness required. For Belanger, that change became a turning point.

“That was a wake-up call that, okay, I need to do more than just running,” she said.

Instead of resisting the new standard, she rose to the challenge. The ACFT pushed her into the gym, and once there, she unexpectedly discovered that she loved it.

“I don’t know if, without the military, I would have found such value in fitness and health,” she said.

That perspective speaks a great deal about her approach to service. Rather than seeing Army demands as obstacles, she often experiences them as invitations to grow. The new test did not simply force her to train differently. It opened a door to a new kind of confidence and discipline, one that strengthened both her body and her identity as a Soldier.

That same mindset served her during deployment to Afghanistan, one of the most demanding experiences of her career.

Belanger served on a postal mission, a high-tempo environment that required her to learn quickly and perform under pressure. Although she had received postal training during initial entry training at Fort Jackson, she had limited practical experience before deploying. In theater, that changed immediately.

“I had to learn a lot because I had to learn a lot,” she said.

The pace was relentless. The mission was busy. The hours were long. The responsibilities were immediate.
Belanger also saw the intensity of the work being done by her AG counterparts handling S-1 operations, including personnel reporting, accountability and movement requirements.

In a deployed environment, administrative work is inseparable from mission success. Accuracy matters. Speed matters. Every piece of information connects to real people and real operations.

“When you deploy as an AG soldier, you’re going to be working a lot,” she said.

That experience reinforced a truth often overlooked by those outside the AG profession that Army human resources is not passive work. It requires judgment, endurance, adaptability and a deep understanding of how supporting Soldiers supports the mission. In combat zones and garrison environments alike, AG soldiers help keep the force running.

Today, Belanger brings that same mindset to Human Resources Command, where she has served for the past two years.

At HRC, the work is significantly different from traditional S-1 functions, but no less important. Soldiers and leaders across the Army look to HRC for answers, guidance and expertise, often on complicated or high-visibility issues. In her current role, Belanger is involved with congressional inquiries for her division, work that demands vigilant research, attention to detail and a strong grasp of Army systems and policies.

Her days often start early, with 5 a.m. workout, before shifting into a workday defined by research, coordination and continuous learning.

“I’ll get inquiries, and even though I’m not the one directly replying to them, I still have to do my own research to at least know what I’m reading,” she said.

That research has broadened her understanding not just of her own duties, but of HRC as a whole. In many ways, serving here has deepened her professional identity. At a unit level, an AG soldier may focus on traditional personnel support. At HRC, the scope is larger and highly specialized. Soldiers assigned there are expected to know not only the basics of HR, but the regulations, processes and authorities connected to their specific division or directorate.

“You are seen as, ‘Oh, you have the HRC patch, so you are the subject matter expert,” she said.

That expectation is both a challenge and a point of pride. It means every day demands learning something new. Every day requires professionalism. Every day offers another opportunity to represent HRC well and support the broader Army.

For Belanger that is exactly the kind of responsibility that makes service meaningful. She values being part of something bigger than herself and the chance to keep growing.

From San Diego to the Army, from AG training to Afghanistan, from unit-level support to Human Resources Command, Belanger has spent 16 years doing exactly that.

Her story is a reminder that the Army is not only a place people serve. It is also a place where people grow as professionals, as leaders and as individuals.

And for Belanger, that journey is still continuing.