Fayette native inducted in U.S. Army Ordnance Hall of Fame
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Rhonda Crawford-Sloan, a retired Chief Warrant Officer Four with the U.S. Army, poses for a photo following her induction into the U.S. Army Ordnance Corps Hall of Fame.
Rhonda Crawford-Sloan
In 1983, Fayette County native Rhonda Crawford-Sloan joined the U.S. Army to help pay for college.
As an ammunition specialist, she expected to serve her time in a warehouse, supplying soldiers with rounds for either qualifications or for combat.
“As you progress in rank, the job becomes a little more detailed,” she said.
Throughout her 30-year career, Crawford-Sloan served at nearly every level of ammunition operations in places like Germany, Korea and Honduras, as well as numerous assignments in the U.S. She received a Bronze Star for her service in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom, and earlier this month, was honored with induction in the U.S. Army Ordnance Hall of Fame.
The hall of fame was established in 1969 to recognize and memorialize those who have made positive, significant contributions to the U.S. Army Ordnance Corps.
As one of two ammunition technicians to ever be inducted (the ordnance corps is known mainly for maintenance, not ammunition, she said), Crawford-Sloan also became the first woman of color to be inducted during the May 15 ceremony.
“That’s a big accomplishment in itself, and it shows that it can be done,” the Uniontown native said. “I never thought that I would be walking up there, standing in front of these generals – I grew up in Pershing Court.”
As a woman in a male-dominated field, Crawford-Sloan said she had to remain competitive during her time in the military.
“When I went to the warrant officer candidate course, I was the only female in my class, and at times I felt so alone,” she said. “But I was there for a purpose: to graduate and become a warrant officer.”
She achieved that goal in 1996, and went on to rise through the ranks, retiring in 2013 with the rank of chief warrant officer four.
She served combat tours in Afghanistan, Iraq and Kuwait, supplying different military branches and service members from allied countries with shipments coming in by sea and by air, and was also tasked with taking quick corrective action for items that were lost in transit.
Of her long list of awards and decorations, she said her Bronze Star is the most special to her. During Operation Enduring Freedom, Crawford-Sloan was the accountable officer (AO) for the ammunition supply point on Kandahar Forward Support Base.
“My platoon was attached to the Logistics Task Force 307, 82nd Airborne Division and was responsible for providing daily ammunition resupply to the combat forces in our area of responsibility,” she said. “My job as the AO, was to ensure all needed munitions were available, resupply was enroute, and most importantly the on-hand quantity remained correct at all times. I received the Bronze Star due to my actions in combat, sustaining the warfighter with the right ammunition at the right time.”
She received her Bronze Star at the time as her uncle, Robert Spencer of Cardale, although his came 38 years after his service in Vietnam due to a records mix-up. He said his niece helped him fill out the paperwork and go through the appropriate channels to finally receive the award.
Spencer’s Bronze Star was awarded for having an exceptionally high state of mental and physical stamina and ability to withstand fatigue, distress and hardship. He was continually subjected to hostile fire and enemy mortar attacks in excess of 1,330 incoming rounds on the Dong Tam base in 1968 when he was a platoon sergeant.
Spencer was particularly proud when Crawford-Sloan was inducted into the U.S. Army Ordnance Corps Hall of Fame, watching the ceremony via a livestream.
“I had tears in my eyes,” he said. “I wish her mother (who died in 2019) could have seen it.”
Now a resident of North Carolina, Crawford-Sloan is a wife and mother to one adult daughter. And her time in the military did help with college.
She earned a bachelor’s degree in applied studies from Excelsior University, and a master’s degree in management and leadership from Webster University.
After her retirement from active duty in 2013, she went on to work for the U.S. Department of Defense as a logistics assistance representative with the Joint Munitions Command, with duty at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Her job now is as a maintenance management specialist in Fort Bragg, where she ensures equipment makes it to the right place instead of ammunition.