A longtime soldier from Nash County soon will wrap up her military career while holding the Army’s top enlisted rank.

Sgt. Maj. Andrea Farmer, a 1982 graduate of Northern Nash High School, will retire in April. She enlisted in the Army in April 1983.

Farmer currently serves as the 23rd Quartermaster Brigade’s Sexual Harassment/Assault Prevention program manager. She is responsible for planning, coordinating and supervising the program’s activities; advising on sexual harassment and assault issues; coordinating with military and civilian agencies to help assault victims; and collecting and maintaining data for reporting purposes for the Fort Lee, Va.-based unit.

The position caps a career that has seen the sergeant major assigned to many other high-level positions with broad authority and responsibilities. The postings include:

• Chief career management noncommissioned officer for the Army’s supply branch, the Quartermaster Corps. Serving from June 2007 to June 2011, Farmer worked as an expert on force structure and the specialized training standards for more than 120,000 soldiers.
• Third Corps Support Command chief food operations management noncommissioned officer. From June 2001 to June 2007, Farmer ran the food service for the command, which then was based in Europe.
• Contracting officer representative for the Defense Contracting Management Agency. While deployed twice to Iraq to support operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom, Farmer was the quality assurance provider for a $30 million-plus food-service operation feeding 27,000 service members, military contractors and civilians at 10 forward operating bases.

Her service has been recognized with many decorations and other honors, including:

• The Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service and Bronze Star medals.
• Being named one of the original recipients of an Army Women’s Foundation Legacy Scholarships in 2009.
• Helping 3rd Corps Support Command earn the Department of the Army’s Philip A. Connelly Award for outstanding small garrison operations in 2004.
• Helping the command earn first place in the Best Dining Facility and Field Feeding competition in 2006 for the U.S. Army Europe.

Farmer originally enlisted in the Army as a cook. After training at Fort Dix, N.J., she first served at Fort Benning, Ga. Her other postings include at Camp Mercer, Korea, with 2nd Infantry Division and Fort Stewart, Ga., with 3rd Infantry Division.

While in service, the sergeant major earned an associate degree in food service management in 1999 from Central Texas College, an associate degree in human resource management in 2000 for St. Leo University, a bachelor’s degree in human resource management in 2000 from St. Leo University and a dual master’s degree in human relations and international relations in 2009 from the University of Oklahoma.

Farmer is the daughter of Bobby and Mildred Farmer of Castalia.