The magazine for alumni and friends of the UB School of Management
Issue link: http://ubschoolofmanagement.uberflip.com/i/109681
In 2009, Sanders returned to the School of Management to work with Jain���s graduate marketing students on a semester-long project to develop marketing plans for the launch of the smart car in the U.S. ���Dr. Jain has a great vision for the future,��� Sanders says. Sanders��� career with the New York National Guard has taken him to Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Albania, Iceland, Europe, Kuwait, Iraq and Africa, in addition to various parts of the U.S. to assist with national emergencies, such as Hurricane Irene. When he deployed to Iraq with the 42nd Division in 2004, it was the first time a National Guard division had been deployed since World War II. In 2008, he assumed command of the 153rd Support Brigade based in Buffalo, and in 2010, added the command of the 369th Sustainment Brigade (the Harlem Hellfighters). ���This was a great honor,��� Sanders says. ���It is very rare to command two brigades and I am on cloud nine.��� There is also a sense of personal pride for Sanders, as his grandfather was a Hellfighter in World War II. The governor constituted the 369th on June 2, 1913; it was ���But it���s really in the Army that I have used my marketing skills, during our deployments in Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait and Mali, Africa. I have helped the Hellfighters market themselves as a premier military unit prepared for any assignment worldwide.��� Reginald Sanders organized on June 29, 1916, and entered federal service on July 25, 1917. The Hellfighters shipped out on December 27, 1917, to join the fight. On April 8, 1918, the regiment was assigned to the French Army for the duration of the war. The Harlem Hellfighters were called the ���men of bronze��� and were mostly African-Americans. They were given their nickname in World War I by the Germans who were fighting against them because of their bravery and refusal to retreat. Now, the unit is one of the most diverse in the Guard, with men and women of many different races and nationalities. An important recent mission was when, as part of Atlas Accord 12, they traveled to Mali to provide operational support and humanitarian aid to the Mali defense forces and citizens. Sanders promotes the Hellfighters as much as he can, by speaking to the press, showing Hellfighters videos and accepting the toughest missions. He is extremely proud of all they have accomplished. He is also proud of his family���s involvement with the Armed Forces. One of his sons is in the Special Forces and one of his daughters serves with the New York National Guard. His wife, an Army major, and daughter (a noncommissioned officer) were both stationed in Kuwait. ���My wife, Judi, was the second female in the history of the U.S. Army to command an infantry company that was a Warrior Transition Unit, and the first female commander in the Guard at the 10th Mountain Division,��� he says. Sanders remains busy with the many missions the Hellfighters undertake. Recently, they have had soldiers on missions in Afghanistan and Kuwait and have helped New York citizens dealing with the aftereffects of Hurricane Sandy. x ��� Cathy Wilde Sanders at the ceremony celebrating the end of the Mali mission Spring 2013 Buffalo Business 17