A life defined by service and grace

BAUMHOLDER, Germany — 1st Sgt. HollyAnn Nicom’s roots of military service reach back generations.

Her grandfather served in the Army during World War I. Her father was drafted into the Army during the Korean War. Near the end of her father’s life, as early-onset Alzheimer’s disease took away many of his memories, there were still things he remembered, like his dog tag number and the words to “Over There,” a song associated with WWI.

When he died in February 2001, Nicom wanted to better understand the pride he held in being a veteran.

“I wanted to do something to know him better and understand his pride as a veteran,” Nicom said. “I know how important his Army service was to him.”

A chance encounter with a recruiter at an ice cream shop introduced Nicom to the Pennsylvania Army National Guard. She began the enlistment process shortly before Sept. 11, 2001. After the attacks, and knowing fully what she was signing up for, she returned to the Military Entrance Processing Station a month later after receiving a needed medical waiver.

“The gravity of what I was doing, and the sense of pride that went along with it felt much different when I went back that second time,” Nicom said.

Now, nearly 25 years later, Nicom serves as the senior enlisted leader for the 109th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment, currently deployed to Germany in support of U.S. Special Operations Command Europe. Her career has included work as a motor transport operator, deployments to Kuwait and Iraq, domestic-response missions following Hurricane Katrina, support to U.S. Customs and Border Protection during Operation Jump Start and public-affairs assignments in Latvia, Germany and Tunisia.

Throughout those experiences, Nicom said she has retained the same commitment she felt when she first raised her right hand.

“Throughout my 25-year military career, I have not lost that sense of pride and commitment to my obligation,” Nicom said.

Nicom’s connection to public affairs began before she formally entered the career field. While deployed as a truck driver, she routinely carried a camera and photographed the missions and Soldiers around her. Her goal was simply to capture those significant moments of her own life. What she found was that she was capturing a larger piece of history.

“I was able to capture photographs depicting what it was like to be on mission in a war zone,” Nicom said. “Inadvertently, I told the story of the Soldiers around me through imagery before I even knew what public affairs was.”

Those experiences later shaped her understanding of public affairs as both a way to preserve history and keep the public informed. Her work has earned recognition in the Maj. Gen. Keith L. Ware Communications Awards Competition at the National Guard Bureau and the Pennsylvania National Guard levels, but Nicom places equal value on helping other Soldiers develop.

As a first sergeant, she said effective leadership means creating an environment where Soldiers have room to be creative, can think beyond the expected solution and have the resources they need to succeed.

“In a unit made up of storytellers and communicators, a good enlisted leader allows room for the creativity to flow,” Nicom said.

Staff Sgt. Dave Thomson, a public affairs specialist in the 109th MPAD, said Nicom’s leadership is most evident in the routine work that keeps the unit moving. Whether the task is transportation or cleaning latrines, he said Nicom works alongside Soldiers rather than simply directing them.

Thomson recalled Soldiers from a different unit expressing surprise when they saw the 109th MPAD’s first sergeant taking out trash one day. Usually a task like that is delegated to a junior Soldier.

“If there was a person who was an example of a servant leader, she would definitely be it,” Thomson said. “I think she’s inspirational in and out of the Army.”

As the unit’s first sergeant, Nicom helps set and enforce standards while remaining attentive to the individual circumstances affecting Soldiers. She believes accountability is necessary, but discipline should also leave room for a Soldier to learn, recover and continue contributing to the team.

Her leadership approach is grounded in a belief that Soldiers should not be defined solely by their mistakes. Nicom said leaders must hold Soldiers accountable while also recognizing their potential and treating them with empathy.

“Sometimes, the answer is to show them, with grace, their importance within the unit and that they can do better,” Nicom said. “I have seen noncommissioned officers who have made very poor choices turn their entire mindset around once they are counseled with empathy and grace.”

Sgt. 1st Class Brandon Nelson, the 109th MPAD’s readiness and administrative NCO, said Nicom consistently puts that principle into practice.

Nelson said Nicom has shown more grace to some Soldiers than he may have initially expected, but he respects her ability to seek out the good in people.

“In the true essence of grace and giving unearned ‘love, blessings, forgiveness,’ she’s definitely shown patience and understanding with multiple members of the group,” Nelson said. “I think the theme of ‘People’ is where she routinely has and keeps a positive outlook and searches for good.”

Her faith informs that mindset. Nicom said the message of Matthew 25:40, demonstrating faith through acts of kindness, guides how she leads, serves and interacts with Soldiers.

She makes a point to remember birthdays, recognize personal interests, encourage public-affairs strengths and praise missions done well. Whether during routine unit operations or on deployment in Europe, Nicom said she tries to lead with the same kindness and grace she would want from her own leaders.

That commitment to service extends far beyond the formation.

After returning from her combat deployments, Nicom remembered Vietnam veterans waiting at the airport to welcome her units home. Their support left a lasting impression, particularly because many Vietnam veterans did not receive the same reception after their own service.

“I so badly wanted to thank them for their service and reciprocate the ‘welcome home,’” Nicom said.

More than a decade ago, she made the decision to become an anonymous living liver donor, specifying that her donation be given to a Vietnam veteran. The process took about a year, including extensive testing and multiple trips to Yale New Haven Hospital in Connecticut.

Nicom selected her enlistment anniversary as the date of the surgery. She donated approximately 60% of her liver to a Marine Corps Vietnam veteran she had never met.

“I wanted it to be a ‘thank you and welcome home’ gift from a grateful nation,” Nicom said.

The recipient was near death before the transplant. Although the two have never met, they exchange letters several times a year. Nicom said he was able to walk his granddaughter down the aisle at her wedding last year.

Nicom also volunteers in her community, including work supporting English-language learners, hospice residents and local community activities. She describes herself as someone who roots for the underdog and believes in paying forward the support she has received from others.

“Every single person in the world has been in a position, at one time or another, where they have needed support, encouragement or a helping hand,” Nicom said. “I have been on the receiving end of a helping hand a few times in my life, and I’m a big proponent of paying it forward.”

Whether serving in uniform, at work or in her community, Nicom hopes her example reinforces the importance of genuine care for others.

“At the end of the day, people in your life, including Soldiers, remember the times you came through for them and they remember the times you let them down,” Nicom said. “I hope I am remembered as someone who was positive, dependable and uplifted those around me through genuine encouragement.”

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