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WASHINGTON, March 27, 2006 – When Dorothy Moore was commissioned as a Navy warrant officer in February after a long application and selection process, she was fulfilling a career goal. But, she said, the most rewarding experience of her career had already passed -- her deployment to Iraq.
Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer Dorothy Moore hands out humanitarian supplies to Iraqi children during her 2005 deployment. Moore was commissioned as a warrant officer in February 2006. Courtesy photo
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"The most important thing in my career was serving in the Middle East supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom," the Navy Reservist said. "I experienced firsthand the transition of the Iraqi people. I witnessed the march to Karbala, the voting for the first time, and I went into the community on humanitarian missions, visiting schools and villages." Moore was deployed for a year with the Defense Contract Management Agency International as the operations officer for DCMA South, in Diwaniyah. On her deployment, Moore worked with a joint command and, among other things, was responsible for coordinating convoy movements of people within her area, she said. Being in a joint command helped Moore learn about and relate to the other military services and contractors, she said. Having relationships with her counterparts was essential when organizing convoys, which involved many factors and could take up to 14 days to coordinate, she said. "What was mine was theirs," she said. "You develop ties that you'll never forget. You must learn to trust the judgment of those that have been outside of the wire and know the territory. Your life and the lives of the personnel you support are depending on it." Moore worked with Iraqi laborers on a construction project, she said, and she found them to be very diligent workers. The language barrier was difficult to overcome, but the Iraqis were helpful in teaching her some words, she said. Moore, whose civilian job is as an occupational safety and health specialist at the Naval Medical Research Center, in Silver Spring, Md., has been in the military for 19 years and said she decided to become a warrant officer for the expanded leadership opportunities. She doesn't regret her career path of being an enlisted sailor first and working her way up, she said, because it shows diligence. "It's not an easy road, especially for Navy personnel," she said. Moore, a single mother of two, said she is passionate about leadership and mentoring her subordinates to help them meet their full potential. "I hope to lead by example, providing guidance and sound advice," she said.
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