Fulton man named commander of National Guard company

During the 1140th Forward Support Company change of command ceremony, Lt. Col. Ed Gargas (right), commander of the 1140th Engineer Battalion, passes the unit guidon to Capt. Cody Waters (left) to symbolize the transfer of authority and responsibility.
During the 1140th Forward Support Company change of command ceremony, Lt. Col. Ed Gargas (right), commander of the 1140th Engineer Battalion, passes the unit guidon to Capt. Cody Waters (left) to symbolize the transfer of authority and responsibility.

In his early days with the Missouri National Guard, when he still served as a noncommissioned officer, Capt. Cody Waters of Fulton often looked to his superior officers and thought, "I could do that."

Waters now will have the chance to prove his ability to lead after being appointed the new commander for the 1140th Forward Support Company based out of Cape Girardeau.

"I'm just looking forward to the chance to lead troops ... to make that difference," Waters said, noting he believes a good officer is "someone who is a servant leader that has the experience the young guys have, has been in their shoes."

Capt. Waters certainly meets that criteria, having first enlisted as a noncommissioned officer in September 2000 before going on to receive his officer commission in May 2008. He has done a variety of jobs within the guard, including two deployments overseas - as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003-04 and again with Operation Enduring Freedom in 2011-12.

To help the tornado-stricken people of Dumas and surroundings, donations can be made to the Delta Area Disaster Relief Fund, care of the Delta Area Community Foundation, P.O. Box 894, Dumas, AR, 71639, or through the Arkansas Community Foundation, 700 S. Rock St., Little Rock, AR, 72202.