Charleston, South Carolina native, Army military veteran Dr. Lesley Antoinette Smalls enjoying the fruits of her labor
Andre Johnson 
Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. (1 Corinthians 15:58 NIV)
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To her distinctly unique credit, Dr. Lesley Antoinette Smalls is a woman who has acquired an array of notable achievements.
Amongst her most cherished accolades: becoming a recipient of an Honorary Doctorate Degree from the prestigious Trinity International University of Ambassadors.
A well-respected retired military veteran who served 29 years in the United States Army, Dr. Smalls hails from Charleston, South Carolina, where she was born and raised and dreamt of someday becoming an actress and police officer.
While in school, she sang in the school choir, played the flute, and was in the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC).
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Interestingly enough, Dr. Smalls competed for Homecoming Queen while in high school, eventually finishing as third runner-up. Consequently, upon graduating high school, she enrolled at an area community college, where she studied Criminal Justice. Although her college stint was short-lived, Dr. Small remained resourceful and dedicated to becoming a better version of herself.
Every. Single. Day.
One of Dr. Smalls’ many odd jobs was a cashier at a family-owned supermarket. As she vividly recalls, she enjoyed working at the store because it gave her an opportunity to meet people who did not live a dysfunctional life.
And in turn, it made her want to help others who were less fortunate than her. One day, Dr. Small was delivering food to an elderly person’s home, who was a military veteran, and the veteran was a woman. The woman, who would be called Florence, asked her, “If she enjoyed working at the grocery store and living in Charleston?” Florence explained that there was nothing there (Charleston) and that she would be better off returning to college or the military.
Dr. Smalls did not have the money to return to school but knew if she went into the military, it would pay for her to attend school. She eventually went to see a recruiter, then stationed at Fort Hood, Texas as her first duty assignment.
Much to her delight, Dr. Smalls advanced in rank as an enlisted service member by attending Soldier of the Month Boards and taking military education, during which promotion points were given. Meanwhile, Dr. Smalls stood out amongst her peers by ensuring her organization commanders faithfully accounted for all government equipment and issued it to the users, which resulted in no money lost to the United States government.
With challenging assignments throughout Dr. Smalls’ career, she felt she was missing something in her career and decided to submit her Warrant Officer Packet and officially was commissioned as a Warrant Officer One on December 6, 2006.
After completing her basic job course, Dr. Smalls returned to school. While managing school and work, she sensed it was going to be difficult, because of her job requirements, to include four deployments. Sacrifices were made in honor of carrying out and living the values of respect, duty, loyalty, selfless service, integrity, and personal courage in everything she did.
Dr. Smalls’ duties as a Property Book Officer (PBO) included:
- Maintaining inventory.
- Ensuring adequate supplies.
- Placing orders.
- Collecting worn-out items.
- Sending damaged supplies back.
- Developing budgets.
- Purchasing new inventory.
While serving as a PBO, Dr. Smalls was recognized for outstanding achievement in maintaining the property book, ensuring impeccable property accountability for assets valued at over $40 million.
Also, through exceptional diligence and meticulous record-keeping, Dr. Smalls demonstrated superior administrative and logistical skills, significantly contributing to the efficiency and operational readiness of the unit.
Her unwavering attention to detail and adherence to Army regulations have prevented loss, misplacement, and discrepancies, thus safeguarding critical resources. On May 1, 2024, Dr. Smalls retired from active duty service and was awarded numerous medals and citations for her unwavering performance as a Senior Property Book Logistician.
Then on July 29, 2024, Dr. Smalls began her first civilian job as a logistics Management Specialist at the Headquarters Army Sustainment Command after 29 years of military service. Her responsibilities entail conducting management project studies throughout the Logistics Readiness Center to improve existing management applications and practices, performing systemic accumulation and maintenance of financial data for assigned funding programs, and assisting the Budget Officer in total financial management by preparing special reports, procedures, surveys, or schedules.
And perform various supply duties in support of the US Army Command Supply Discipline Program (CSDP). Dr. Smalls will be incorporating her skills while on active duty to accomplish the tasks given by her superiors. During her leisure time, she likes to work in her yard, read, travel, shop, and attend church.
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Andre Johnson is the award-winning Founder and Publisher for Making Headline News. A 2000 graduate of the University of Memphis School of Journalism and a former staff reporter of sports for the Memphis Commercial Appeal newspaper, Johnson covers the NBA Southwest Division from Dallas, Texas. To reach Johnson, send email to [email protected] or to [email protected]. Also, follow him on Twitter @AJ_Journalist or Instagram at @makingheadlinenews.
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