From engineer to storyteller: Barrieau retires after 25 years
The 21st Theater Sustainment Command hosted the ceremony, which recognized Barrieau’s career as an engineer and public affairs noncommissioned officer, as well as the support and sacrifices of his family.
Maj. Gen. Michael B. Lalor, commanding general of the 21st TSC, described Barrieau’s career through three themes: service, family and commitment.
Lalor said Barrieau demonstrated that commitment at the beginning of his career when he continued the enlistment process on Sept. 11, 2001, as news of the terrorist attacks played on a television inside a military entrance processing station in Maine.
“Some people run away when the fire starts or when the crisis begins, and some people run toward the building,” Lalor said. “Master Sergeant Barrieau ran toward the service.”
Barrieau enlisted in the Maine Army National Guard as a carpentry and masonry specialist with the 133rd Engineer Battalion. He deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2004 and 2005 before later entering active duty and reclassifying as a broadcast journalist.
The career change placed Barrieau in assignments where he documented Soldiers and military operations through writing, photography and broadcast products.
His assignments included the 82nd Airborne Division and 20th Engineer Brigade at Fort Bragg, North Carolina; Joint Multinational Readiness Center in Hohenfels, Germany; the 20th Public Affairs Detachment at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington; the 3rd Special Forces Group at Fort Bragg; the 18th Medical Command in Honolulu; and the Army Public Affairs Center at Fort Meade, Maryland.
Barrieau deployed a second time to Iraq from 2010 to 2011, where he served as the personal photographer for the commanding general of United States Forces-Iraq. He also supported Kosovo Force 21 from 2016 to 2017 before returning to Germany for his final assignment.
Barrieau finished his career as the regional chief of public affairs for the Army & Air Force Exchange Service’s Europe, Southwest Asia and Africa region in Sembach, Germany. In that role, he wrote about Exchange programs and services supporting military communities across three continents.
Lalor said public affairs professionals provide a connection that helps bind an organization together by telling its story. He thanked Barrieau for providing that connection throughout his career.
“The public affairs officers of the world, the broadcast journalists of the world, they’re invaluable to our command and invaluable to our force,” Lalor said.
Barrieau said the work taught him to recognize the people behind each mission and to preserve their contributions through public affairs.
“I learned that leadership is more than accomplishing the mission; it is recognizing the people and moments that make the mission matter,” Barrieau said. “Through leadership, words and images, I’ve tried to ensure their stories were told and never forgotten.”
During the ceremony, Barrieau received the Meritorious Service Medal, a retirement certificate, a presidential certificate of appreciation, a Soldier for Life pin and a folded U.S. flag.
His wife, Monica, received certificates of appreciation recognizing her support throughout his service. Their children, Josephine, Emilia and Cooper, received Army Brat Awards recognizing the moves, absences and other demands they experienced as military children.
Barrieau and Monica celebrated their 19th wedding anniversary the day before the retirement ceremony. In his remarks, Barrieau credited her with sustaining the family through deployments, relocations, long workdays and missed holidays.
“You supported me when I was gone, welcomed me home when I returned and kept our family going when the Army needed me somewhere else,” Barrieau said. “You’ve sacrificed just as much for this career as I have, and probably more in some ways.”
Barrieau also presented each of his children with a dandelion-themed gift. He explained that the dandelion represents military children because it can take root, adapt and grow wherever the wind carries it.
“You didn’t choose this life,” Barrieau told them. “You didn’t choose the deployments. You didn’t choose the moves or the goodbyes. But you handled them, and you grew through them.”
Barrieau said his family plans to return to Maine, put down roots and spend more time together while building an agritourism glamping business. He also plans to remain active in Scouting and contribute to his local community.
As he considered the transition ahead, Barrieau said the people he met and the stories he was trusted to tell mattered more than the awards on his uniform or the places he served.
“I enlisted on Sept. 11, 2001, not knowing where that decision would take me,” Barrieau said. “Twenty-five years later, I can honestly say I wouldn’t change the path. I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished. I’m grateful for the people I met along the way, and I’m ready for whatever comes next.”
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