\n\t\t\t\tLt. Col. Esther Aguigui, center, takes command of the Guam Army National Guard\u2019s Recruiting and Retention Battalion as she receives the guidon from Maj. Gen. Benny M. Paulino, The Adjutant General of the Guam National Guard, left. Looking on is Command Sgt. Maj. Mark Ishmael. (MAJ. JOSEPHINE BLAS\/GUAM NATIONAL GUARD)\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\nAguigui began her military career in 1985 as an information management specialist in the U.S. Air Force Reserve\u2019s 44th Aerial Port Squadron. In 1996, she transferred to the Guam Air National Guard\u2019s 254th Civil Engineer Squadron, becoming the first and only female to take on the role of First Sergeant. After 13 years as an airman, Aguigui started a new chapter in her career by transferring to the Guam Army National Guard where she received a direct commission as a second lieutenant.<\/p>\n
The various assignments she\u2019s held include Family Assistance Program coordinator; aide de camp to Maj. Gen. Paulino; commander of the 294th Military Intelligence Detachment; and Senior Intelligence Officer for Task Force Pelican, Joint Task Force, during relief efforts of Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana.<\/p>\n
She deployed to Afghanistan from 2006 to 2007 serving as Deputy, Senior Counterintelligence Officer for Joint Special Operations Task Force and Liaison Officer to the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force.<\/p>\n
She also served as the Secretary of General Staff for Maj. Gen. Donald J. Goldhorn, former Adjutant General; S3 Operations Officer for the 105th Troop Command and Commander of the GUARNG Element \u2013 Joint Force Headquarters, with simultaneous duties as the Chief of the J1 Casualty Branch.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s a people-person,\u201d said Col. Roderick Leon Guerrero, Chief of Joint Staff, Guam National Guard. \u201cShe knows how to deal with people and handle situations that most would not even want to touch. She gives a lot of herself to ensure soldiers and families are taken care of. She is deserving of this promotion.\u201d <\/p>\n
A week after her promotion, Aguigui stepped forward to assume command of the Guam Army National Guard\u2019s Recruiting and Retention Battalion\u2014the first female to command a battalion in the Guam National Guard.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is significant milestone,\u201d said Paulino. \u201cLt. Col. Aguigui is an excellent choice to assume command of this fine organization. She is a highly skilled and competent officer whom I know I can entrust with the leadership of the Recruiting and Retention Battalion. She is truly the gold standard of command.\u201d <\/p>\n
In her remarks during her promotion, Aguigui said, \u201cThere are so many people that have helped shape who I am today.\u201d She thanked Paulino for the opportunity to command a great organization filled with so many talented people. <\/p>\n
\u201cI owe a debt of gratitude to my former supervisors and personal mentors\u2014thank you for the many lessons, encouragement, and guidance throughout these years,\u201d said Aguigui. \u201cNo words can express, no act of gratitude can relate, no gift can represent what my family\u2019s love and support has and will always mean to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo the men and women who make up the Recruiting and Retention Battalion, I am extremely proud and humbled to have been selected as your commander,\u201d Aguigui continued. \u201cWe must act with candor and integrity to earn the unquestioning trust of soldiers and families. We must commit to employing our rank and positions not to serve ourselves, but to serve this island and country. And most of all, we must practice physical and morale courage, and inspire these qualities in others by our example.”<\/p>\n
Prior to assuming command of the Recruiting and Retention Battalion, Aguigui relinquished command of the GUARNG Element \u2013 Joint Force Headquarters to Maj. Manuel Duenas. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In a matter of a few weeks, Lt. Col. Esther J.C. Aguigui made history, becoming…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":176056,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[495,200,67],"class_list":["post-176052","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-news","tag-afghanistan","tag-military","tag-people"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/176052","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/28"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=176052"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/176052\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/176056"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=176052"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=176052"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=176052"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}