‘I will serve’

For Navy Capt. Lena “Sparkleberry” Kaman, serving your country is about responsibility, about helping others without being recognized for it.

Kaman is the commander, Navy Reserve Region Southeast Readiness and Mobilization Command, Fort Worth. She was the guest speaker Wednesday, Nov. 11, at the Aledo Veterans Day Ceremony at Veterans Plaza.

She and her husband, Christian, live in Aledo with their twin sons, Jean-Pual and Theodore.

“If you ask me what I remember most clearly, it would not be a particular flight or qualification,” Kaman said. “It would be the people. It would be the maintainers and the air crew, who stayed late fixing the aircraft when the rest of us were already tired. It would be the shipmate who noticed someone struggling, and quietly stepped in, without being asked, and without needing credit. It would be the young sailor or junior officer, who figured out that leadership is not about rank. It is a decision to be responsible for the people around you.”

Kaman earned her “Wings of Gold” as a helicopter pilot in March 2002. She logged more than 4,200 hours in Naval aircraft, including the SH-60B Seahawk armed helicopter, completing two deployments, one in Iraq and one in South America. She also has been a helicopter pilot instructor, commander of a training squadron, and has served on staff in Washington, D.C. including a year embedded with Congress as a Legislative Fellow. Before her Fort Worth duty she was commander of Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base in New Orleans.

“There is something right about doing this event outdoors,” Kaman said. “Under open sky, in a Texas town that is all-in and knows what community looks like. We can look around, see familiar faces, hear the American flags blowing in the wind. And remember that the freedom to gather like this was never free.” 

The ceremony included the “National Anthem” and “America the Beautiful” performed by Jolie Holliday; remarks and a proclamation by Aledo Mayor Shane Davis; and a flyover by three members of the Falcon Flight team.

“To every veteran here, thank you. You made a decision. Most people never have to make. You raised your hand, you accepted the weight that came with it,” Kaman said. “You left home, trained hard, missed birthdays and holidays, and carried burdens that do not always show on the outside. That choice still echoes, and it always will.” 

Kaman said she learned a lot about being in the military from her father.

“I am a Navy captain and a naval aviator, but I am also the daughter of a Navy veteran … My dad served in Korea and Vietnam,” Kaman said. “When I was a kid, he would sit me down at the kitchen table and tell sea stories. He told stories about ships, about the sailors he served with, along about long stretches of gray ocean, and the quiet responsibility that comes with standing duty when no one is watching you. I thought they were just stories of him reliving his past adventures. What I did not understand then, what only landed years later, is that he was teaching me something simple and permanent. Service is not about being seen. It is about being responsible.” 

She gave kudos to the families of service men and women.

“And it would also be the families. Like my husband, Christian, who is here today, who held everything together at home, while the rest of us could serve and do our duty. So I’d like to give all the family members here a round of applause as well.” 

And, she acknowledged the veterans whose life of service often continues once they get home.

“Every veteran learns the hard way. Nothing that matters is accomplished alone. That is part of why the word veteran carries weight,” Kaman said. “It means you understand that the mission comes before comfort. It means you learn to trust the person on your right and the person on your left. It means you know that standards matter. Preparation matters, and the small, unglamorous acts showing up ready, taking care of the gear, helping a teammate, doing the right thing when no one will ever know, can decide whether the day succeeds or fails. Those habits do not stay at sea or on the field. Veterans bring those habits home when they become the coaches, the teachers, the first-responders, the pastors, the business owners, the quiet people in towns like Aledo who keep showing up and doing the work.” 

Kaman spoke about readiness.

“Readiness is not something you manufacture in a crisis. It is built every ordinary day through training, standards, maintenance, and the steady commitment of people who show up prepared. I’ve learned that truth over and over in every job I’ve held.

“I see the same spirit in the sailors I lead today at Redcom Fort Worth. Our job is straightforward and serious. Make sure Navy reserve sailors are ready when the nation needs them,” Kaman said. “We support more than 8,000 sailors across 18 Navy reserve centers in seven states. These are not people living apart from American life. They are citizen sailors, and neighbors, engineers, mechanics, pharmacists, pilots, builders, teachers, business owners, who balance their civilian careers and their families with military obligations. When the call comes, they answer. 

Kaman closed with a thank you to community members, veterans and their families.

“Veterans Day is a reminder that citizenship comes with responsibilities,” Kaman said. “To the community members here this morning: Continue to support the people who serve today. Support the families who carry the weight with them. And keep valuing the veterans who continue contributing long after the uniform comes off. 

“To the veterans, your service made a difference. You help protect the freedom that lets a town like Aledo gather in the open air, raise families, and look toward a dynamic future. You set the example. 

“To the families, thank you again. The strength of the force has always depended on the strength of the families behind it. And to those still serving, thank you for carrying it forward. It is an honor to stand with you. 

“I am proud to be a Navy aviator. I am proud to lead the 8,000 sailors in Region Fort Worth, but I am most proud to stand among the veterans here today. Because at some point, every one of us had the same three words. ‘I will serve.’”