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Erin Fagnan’s promotion to drill sergeant las month was 11 years in the making, but it wasn’t something that she initially thought of when she joined the Guard.
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Faces in the Crowd: Erin Fagnan
Raised in a family with three brothers, Aberdeen native Erin Fagnan says that nothing holds her back from her goals and that hard work and experience played a big part in her success.
April 30, 2021
RAPID CITY, S.D. Erin says being the first South Dakota Army National Guard Drill Sergeant is a huge honor but came from 11 years of hard work and self sacrifice, strong physical and mental health. and pushing herself out of her comfort zone.
Staff Sgt. Erin Fagnan
Erin says, “It’s day in and day out working hard and building that trust and rapport with my fellow soldiers and leaders so it is hard in the sense that it is not an overnight thing so you gotta have the long haul goal.”
KNBN NewsCenter1
April 21, 2021
RAPID CITY, S.D. On April 10, the South Dakota Army National Guard graduated their first female drill sergeant from the U.S. Army’s Drill Sergeant Academy in Fort Jackson, South Carolina.
Staff Sgt. Erin Fagnan of Rapid City is the first female from South Dakota to attend and graduate from the academy while serving in the South Dakota Army National Guard, and also graduated on the Commandant’s List – putting her in the top 10 in her class of 107 students.
Fagnan is a member of the South Dakota Army National Guard’s Recruiting and Retention Battalion and serves as a drill instructor for the Recruit Sustainment Program, which helps prepare newly-enlisted recruits for Basic Combat Training.