U.S. Army Europe and Africa
December 29, 2022
BOLESLAWIEC, Poland – U.S. Soldiers assigned to the 1st Infantry Division (1 ID) gathered to honor Sgt. 1st Class Jennifer Champagne, an Army musician and vocalist assigned to the 1 ID band as she was promoted to the rank of master sergeant on Dec. 29, 2022.
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“Today we promoted Sgt. 1st Class Champagne to the rank of master sergeant and that is a tremendous opportunity for our Soldiers to watch someone who has led them throughout this whole deployment be recognized for the excellences that she is well deserved of,” said U.S. Army 1st Sgt. Larry Dean, an Army musician and trumpeter assigned to the 1 ID band.
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Champagne has been the foundation of the 1 ID band’s tour throughout Europe serving as the operations NCO.
“Sgt. 1st Class Champagne has been an integral part of our band,” said Spc. Mark Northup, an Army musician and saxophonist assigned to the 1 ID band. “During our 1 ID holiday band tour she visited the locations and helped pre-plan our tour throughout Latvia, Lithuania, and many bases throughout Poland.”
The 1 ID band is a musical ambassador for the deployed fighting force and contributes to the morale and support of the U.S. Soldiers, U.S. partners and allied military members.
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“She is the kind of person that isn’t only an asset to our unit but is going to shape our entire band field in the future,” said Dean. “She’s got vision that is well beyond any rank that she possesses and has a really good ability to communicate business with higher echelons and make sure that the organization is well nested within the mission for the commanding general.”
In gratitude for the support she has been given, Champagne ended her promotion ceremony with a solo vocal performance of “You Raise Me Up” by Josh Groban.
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