December 15, 2011 – Kaiser Realty, Inc. Welcomes Home Major General Janet Cobb in Time for the Holidays
Gulf Shores, AL – December 14, 2011 – The holiday season is here and at Kaiser Realty, Inc. we are thankful for many things. For more than 30 years, we have had the support of people from all over the world who visit the beautiful beaches of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach and choose to stay with our family owned and operated company. It reminds us of the strong worldwide community that we have been surrounded by as well as the strong and resilient local community along the Gulf Coast.
This year, the Holidays mark an extra special time around our offices, as we have been able to welcome back with open arms our very own, Maj. Gen. Janet Cobb, U.S. Army Reserve. Cobb, a member of the Kaiser Realty, Inc. family since 2005, recently returned from her second military deployment since joining our team. Her new position in the Pentagon as the Department of the Army G-4 Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for Mobilization and Training, Office of Reserve Component Integration has made her an integral part of our nation’s security planning team as well as a cherished member of the Gulf Coast’s military service tradition. In early November, the United States Senate confirmed Cobb’s promotion to her current rank.
Cobb joined 4 Foley High School classmates to enlist in the Army Reserve in 1974 and was commissioned from the University of Alabama ROTC program in 1978. Having served in various assignments locally, regionally and overseas, Cobb is no stranger to the idea of traveling for her Army Reserve duty assignments. Spending 42 months at the Deployment Support Command in Birmingham as well as a deployment to Saudi Arabia in 1991 and Kuwait in 2002 required employers that were supportive of employees who served in the Army Reserve. With the help of such outstanding employers, Cobb has been able to serve on recent tours to the Middle East and Europe, as well as build a successful civilian career in Baldwin County.
During her 2011 deployment to the Middle East, Cobb served as Director, Central Command Deployment & Distribution Operations Center, which executed intra-theater airlift operations for Iraq and Afghanistan. Surrounded by “a great group of Americans” Cobb looks back joyfully upon the 67 Marines, Army, Navy and Air Force personnel under her command, with a smile of gratitude.
As she continues her career as a military logistician at the Pentagon, Cobb continuously expresses her thanks for “the amazing support of Leonard Kaiser and rest of the staff at Kaiser Realty. The caring and supportive environment at Kaiser Realty is what “allows the flexibility to travel to Washington when my `other boss’, Lt. Gen. Ray Mason, needs me there,” stated Cobb. “Leonard Kaiser is my number one boss,” she laughed, “but he could teach the book on Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve. My co-workers have been wonderful as well.”
Because both the Army Reserve and National Guard are supported by her office, she traveled to Fort Hood, Texas earlier this month to observe the validation of a North Carolina Army National Guard logistics unit headed for Afghanistan. In November, she presided over Dignified Transfer ceremonies for three returning U.S. soldiers killed in action in Afghanistan. A few weeks later, she had a breakfast reunion with the family and friends of one of the young men just days after his interment at Arlington National Cemetery. “Tears, laughter, stories, grief and loss,” Cobb stated. “The sacrifice of these families must not be forgotten.”
Cobb’s career with the United States Army has not come without some major hurdles in her own personal life, however. In the spring of 2009, Cobb was diagnosed with breast cancer. Thanks to the talents of the surgeons, oncologists and radiologists and medical staff at the Mitchell Cancer Institute in Mobile, and the support of family, friends and co-workers, Cobb was able to continue with her civilian employment and military duties even through her cancer treatment, and stands cancer free today. “God has blessed me with survival,” said Cobb, and feels that “we must raise funds for all forms of cancer research,” a cause she holds close to heart.
Kaiser Realty would like to extend our utmost thanks to Major General Janet Cobb and all those serving, or have served our great country. During this Holiday season, we are especially thankful for you!
Photo Caption: Maj. Gen. Janet Cobb has returned to her civilian position with Kaiser Realty, Inc. in Gulf Shores, Alabama after her latest deployment to the Middle East as Director, Central Command Deployment & Distribution Operations Center. A highlight was the opportunity to promote Maj. Anthony Winters to his current rank in a ceremony at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait. Winters and Cobb previously served together with during her brigade command tenure in Baton Rouge, LA.