Lt. Col. Sonia I. Huertas reflects back on her 22-year career in the U.S. Army with a sense of continuance, as well as a sense of blessing that her latest assignment has brought her to Texas.
As an officer in Army logistics, she has seen assignments in many places.
In June, the Puerto Rico native took command of Defense Logistics Agency at Red River Army Depot west of Texarkana from outgoing commander Lt. Col. Seth M. Olmstead.
But this is not her first dance with the Lone Star State. Texas, in fact, marked the beginning of her career in the Army.
"Before I joined, I lived in Puerto Rico," she said. "San Juan, to be precise, born and raised there. That's also where I met Jose Huertas, who was already a veteran and between service periods. I married him and when he rejoined the Army, I went with him to Ft. Hood, Texas, where at the time he was a field artilleryman, taking on an assignment to the 1st Calvary Division."
That was her first plane ride, too; a plane ride that deposited her and her new husband in Texas.
"That was my first time in Texas as well," Huertas said. "And I fell in love with the place quickly. Coming from a place like Puerto Rico, it was astounding at just how huge the place is. Texas is so big, and has so many cultures within its borders, it is like a huge portion of the world coming to you."
She also noted Texans, and their uniqueness as a people.
"Texans are very friendly, welcoming," she said. "In addition, the food, the weather, it is all great. When I found out my coming assignment would bring me back to Texas, it was just awesome. I was ready to come back here."
Texas was not the only thing that impressed her, however. Experiencing Army life as an Army wife gave her a taste for the service itself. She decided to join. Enlisting as a personnel specialist soldier, she and her husband enjoyed assignments together as a married couple as their respective careers progressed over the next several years.
"For a joint-service couple, at least both being in the Army, the service will try to send you both to the same duty location," she said. "As the two of you go higher in rank, that becomes more difficult. But through the enlisted part of both our careers, we were able to enjoy joint assignments."
Eventually, though, Huertas was ready for a change. And so was Jose Huertas.
"We both put in our Officer's Candidate School packages and got accepted to join the commissioned officer ranks," Huertas said. "We both became officers at the same time. I was a logistics officer and he went into the Signal Corps. As both branches are relatively large, we continued enjoying postings together."
As the two higher, however, and the number of officer slots at the higher ranks became smaller, it would become more difficult.
"Jose made the decision to put in his retirement at the rank of O-3, so we could stay together and raise our family," she said.
Her Army career would send her to assignments such as Germany, Kuwait, Arlington (Virginia), the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and more.
"Among my varied assignments included unique positions that saw me exposed to the regular Army, the National Guard and the Reserve component," she said. "It was these unique assignments that would give me the experience and exposure to set me up for an assignment like DLA-Red River."
Huertas also enjoyed the experience of receiving two of her promotions at the National Women's History Museum in Washington, D.C.
"Officers can choose to hold their promotion ceremony wherever we want," she said. "The first time, this was suggested by someone else. The experience was so good, I did it a second time. The place is an important reminder for American women and their history and how far the've come. So it was good to be in the presence of that."
Huertas is only the second woman and first Hispanic to become commander of DLA-Red River, which is a major logistics location for the American military, with 141 buildings and 15,375 acres of warehouse space, holding $9.3 billion in supplies and equipment.
This is a major responsibility for any commander, but for Huertas, the responsibility first and foremost has always been her family.
"My husband Jose and I focused on bringing up our daughter and son, and now, both are in the Army and both have become officers," she said. "Our son, Jose, is a captain in Army civil affairs, assigned at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina. Our daughter, Ivett, is a 1st lieutenant in military intelligence, assigned to Fort Campbell, Kentucky."
Even though Huertas is eligible for retirement, she says she is not quite ready yet.
"I'm still having fun," she said. "I'm not quite ready to hang up the uniform just yet. However, one thing I do know. When I do retire, I want to retire here in Texas. I'm going to need a hat, though. And a camper. Texans seem to like both."
Lt. Col. Sonia I. Huertas has learned the ropes of her command at Defense Logistics Agency-Red River Army Depot. She credits the smooth transition of command of having a good staff in place that knows the ropes. She calls them a "well-oiled machine." (Staff photo by Junius Stone)
Lt. Col. Sonia I. Huertas has learned the ropes of her command at Defense Logistics Agency-Red River Army Depot. She credits the smooth transition of command of having a good staff in place that knows the ropes. She calls them a "well-oiled machine." (Staff photo by Junius Stone)