Press Release 17-093 From bonnet to patrol cap – Lancaster-native trades simple life for Army life

The decision to join the Army can be difficult for a lot of reasons.

For one command sergeant major on Fort Leonard Wood, the choice was tough because she would be walking away from everything she had known and loved, for the chance to be a part of something more.

Command Sgt. Maj. Rebecca Franco, 84th Chemical Battalion command sergeant major, originally from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, was born into a deeply-rooted Family within a Mennonite community.

“Once you are in that community, you stay in it,” Franco said. “There are responsibilities you have to maintain. It’s a way of living. There really is no way out.”