Selfless service remains key Army leadership trait for Fort Knox Soldier volunteers

Official Statements

• Fort Knox, November 9: “FORT KNOX, Ky. — There’s an old Army acronym that has served as a cultural foundation and beacon of unified values since at least 1995.

  Found in Army Regulation 600-100, “Army Profession and Leadership Policy” explains that the acronym LDRSHIP - pronounced “Leadership” - includes Selfless Service as a value. There are Soldiers serving at Fort Knox who demonstrate the Army values, going above and beyond the uniform to serve others.

  Soldiers like Sgt. 1st Class Larry Barner. As a recruiter serving with U.S. Army Recruiting Command, and as a parent, Barner sees how important mentorship is.

  “I like to serve as a mentor,” said Barner. “Hearing from a younger generation’s perspective about life, life goals, where they see themselves in the future and about what they want to accomplish is very interesting.”

  After Barner arrived at Fort Knox in January, he volunteered at an after-school mentorship program at North Middle School in nearby Radcliff, Kentucky.

  “We were considered life coaches,” said Barner. “It was a voluntary program for the kids, so if the parents wanted to allow their children to come, they had that option.”

  When the 2025-26 school year ended, he sought other opportunities.

  In July, he landed an assistant coaching position with the Fort Knox High School football team.

  “I volunteered to coach wide receivers and cornerbacks for the team,” said Barner, “so I’ve been actively mentoring the young men there.”

  Barner said the opportunity started when he heard about a meeting that head coach Nick Colvin held about plans for the new school year. Barner told Colvin he was interested in helping the team.

  Barner’s interest in mentoring the football players comes instinctually: “I’m a huge football fan!”

  Barner played in the wide receiver and cornerback positions in high school, and when he was stationed at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, in 2000 as a Soldier, he played on a local semipro team.

  He brought that love and knowledge of football to the training sessions, but also the desire to mentor the players when opportunities arose. He admitted that the learning process goes both ways.

  “There’s been ups and downs during our football season, and we didn’t have the best record, but the kids stayed motivated each week,” said Barner. “They got out there and gave 100% every time. That speaks volumes to their character - even when things aren’t going well, perseverance and seeing the bigger outcome is very important.”

  Another noncommissioned officer, Sgt. 1st Class Ignitious Harris, finds that even the smallest of opportunities can have a big effect on others. Harris serves as the Base Operations System Support branch NCO at U.S. Army Human Resources Command.

  This year, he signed up to pick up bread from a local company in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, which donates excess bread rather than just throwing it away, and delivered it to Fort Knox Red Cross for community members who need it each week. He also volunteered to coordinate and lead a group of Soldiers to fold dozens of flags at a nearby Veterans of Foreign Wars post.

  Every year, Harris also assists with the Warrior Warehouse and Santa’s Workshop at the Fort Knox Red Cross.

  “I always pick a day or two to come by and do essentially whatever they need for us to do,” said Harris. “It can be overwhelming for some families to go through Santa’s Workshop, so just guiding them through and reassuring them, making sure they are calm as they go through and pick up toys for their kids is a joy.”

  Harris said when he does volunteer at various places, he tries to bring his Soldiers with him. He focuses on Soldiers to give them an understand of why volunteering is important.

  “With volunteering, you don’t necessarily have to do it, but if you do, it impacts a family, a Soldier or retiree in a big way,” said Harris. “It doesn’t have to a be a super-long 8-hour volunteer effort. It can be just one or two hours every week. So then, while I don’t have to do this, I’m enjoy doing it in my spare time.”

  Harris walks the walk, too. He said he tries to find a few hours every month to volunteer, and when he lands on an opportunity, he roams the halls of HRC in search of Soldiers who are willing to join him. He said he has found more and more Soldiers who anticipate opportunities to give back to those in need.

  Both men recently received a Certificate of Achievement for their efforts to give back to not just the Fort Knox community, but also to community partners outside the gates.

  Barner summed up the importance of volunteering.

  “There’s a saying that the time we spend here on Earth is temporary, so what we do with our time is paying the rent for being here, whether through time, talents or effort,” said Barner. “How can we change someone’s life or perspective if we don’t go out there and share it with them?”

  That’s the biggest lesson, concluded by Barner: living a life of selfless service.”