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Command Sgt. Maj. Rodney J. Rhoades, senior enlisted leader of the 21st Theater Sustainment Command, recognized a military police member for his integrity and doing the right thing during a gathering March 5 on Sembach Kaserne.
The command sergeant major frequently recognizes his Soldiers for stellar performance, but this presentation was unique. Rhoades recognized the young MP for writing him a parking ticket.
While on patrol earlier this month, Pvt. Connor Stennett, an MP with the 92nd MP Company, 709th MP Battalion and 18th MP Brigade, issued Rhoades a parking citation for parking in a loading zone at the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center.
“We have to do what’s right, and I applaud you each and every day for doing what’s right,” Rhoades said to Stennett and the other MPs of the 92nd.
For a junior enlisted Soldier and an MP, sometimes it can be difficult to do the right thing when it comes to dealing with senior leadership.
“He did exactly what a professional law enforcement officer would do,” said 1st Sgt. Edgar Ford, 92nd MP Co. first sergeant. “We’re very proud of him. He hasn’t been here very long, but he’s motivated and he’s out there trying to make a difference.”
For Rhoades, receiving the parking citation was a chance for him to identify something he was doing wrong and make a correction.
“Five times I parked there after seeing others do the same thing,” Rhoades said. “I followed what everybody else was doing.
“After receiving the ticket I looked up at this big pole and it said, ‘Drop off and pick up zone only,’” Rhoades continued. “He took care of me. Five times I parked there and I was taking away from someone dropping off or picking up their children. I don’t want to do that, but I wasn’t paying attention.”
Rhoades added that Stennett did the right thing in intervening and that it’s important for military members, regardless of rank, to understand that no one is above the law.
“He gave me a ticket that made me recognize and identify something I wasn’t paying attention to,” Rhoades said. “He did his job and it matters.”
For the Soldiers of the 92nd, Stennett’s actions were not any different than how each member is expected to act.
“We want to provide professional law enforcement to the community and, if we’re doing that, then rank or position doesn’t matter,” Ford said. “The only thing that matters is what is presented in front of the police officer.”
While Stennett did not recognize right away who he was issuing the parking citation to, he said that given any other situation or someone of any other rank he “wouldn’t have done anything different.”
For Stennett, having Rhoades personally travel to the 92nd and speak to the company meant a lot to him and the other Soldiers.
“I feel pretty honored,” Stennett said. “I am just fresh out of (advanced individual training) and it was nice to be recognized for doing my job.”
