Sometimes you just happen to have create a need to employ a smoke machine. It’s for America of course, just doing my Army public affairs duty. Luckily we have an awesome soldier, among many in the Maryland National Guard, who brings the heat on and off the court.

It’s been too long since I spent a certain kind of time behind the camera. We all need that me time. It was great to that little bit of time before my week-long mission at the Maryland National Guard’s Best Warrior Competition, a trip to Ghana, and then preparing for and surviving exercise Vibrant Response/Guardian Response 18 in Indiana. I feel like I need another break.

Donita Adams, a religious affairs noncommissioned officer, has been in the National Guard since 2015. Originally she was going to be a human resources specialist, but her recruiter helped guide her into a slot that combined her desire to serve, with her commitment to faith.

“The best part is that your helping someone,” said Adams. “There are a lot of issues that we go through as civilians and soldiers, and all of that can build up. knowing that everyday that your job is meaningful, and helping someone get on the right track. That’s just the most rewarding thing.”

For the past three years, Adams has also been a girl’s varsity head coach at Watkins Mill High School. She felt a calling to come back home while she was coaching division II basketball at Salem International University. Adams wanted to help push and develop the young women in Montgomery County.

Adams not only coaches and mentors young women on the court, she also continues to play. She has been selected for the All-Army team for the last two years, and last season she was selected for team USA and got to compete against a bunch of international teams.

“I had so much fun, and I met so many amazing women,” said Adams.