THE STORYTELLERS

I’d be remised if I didn’t provide you with a glimpse of these amazing ‘award-winning’ storytellers who made this documentary possible. In no particular order, please allow me to introduce them:

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER/NARRATOR

Chief Warrant Officer Five (Ret) James J. Williams, Ph.D. is an award-winning scholar, speaker, and 30-year army veteran. Dr. Williams completed his doctoral studies in May 2019 obtaining his Ph.D. in Public Management & Leadership from the School of Public Policy and Administration. He has been bestowed the 2019 Walden University Leadership Excellence Award from the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences for his dissertation topic, Rising Above The Fray: Career Ascension of AfricanAmerican Men In The Army Warrant Officer Corps.

Since that time, Dr. Williams has presented his research at various conferences, and is a frequent contributor the Walden University Doctoral Residencies including Tampa, FL, National Harbor Maryland as well as virtual platforms. The genesis behind his groundbreaking research was to capture the lived experiences of retired African-American men who retired from the Army Warrant Officer Corps (WOC) at the pinnacle rank of Chief Warrant Five (CW5) Additionally, Dr. Williams works in the private sector cyber as a Cyber Systems Engineering Manager for Northrop Grumman Corporation. He is also a multi-award winner for narrative non-fiction for his book Chasing The Eagle: From Dreaming To Achieving Success & Freedom. Dr. Williams is committed to sharing his work to the masses in promoting positive social change.

Chief Warrant Officer Five

(Ret), Sonia Peeples Graves

Rivers sacrificed selflessly to improve the state of the United States Army since joining in 1981. She is a 920A Sr. Property Accounting Technician and 920B Sr. Supply Systems Technician. Her final assignment was as a Quartermaster Senior Warrant Officer Capability Developer for the United States Army Futures Command at Fort Lee, Virginia. She served for 40 years 3 months and 8 days of distinguished service. She received the Legion of Merit medal in February 2021 and Retired in March 2021

CW5 Graves Rivers served four combat tours. Bagram, Afghanistan where she served as the first female accountable officer. She received the Bronze Star Medal during her deployment to Tallil, Iraq where she served as a Transportation Officer and the first female to run a joint distribution center. She served as a Maintenance Officer at Coalition Forces Land Component Command C4 at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait. She also served 2 tours at Fort Buchanan, Puerto Rico. She is 4th Generation serving in the Army and her son MSG Jovano Graves is 5th generation. She gives back by notarizing Floridian Veteran’s documents for free and serves on the board of directors for Helping Others Foundation of Georgia.