People on the Move: Staff Sgt. Kertz Published Sept. 8, 2009 By Bob Fehringer U.S. Transportation Command Public Affairs SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- When Army Staff Sgt. Sheri Kertz was an eighth-grade student in El Cajon, Calif. her friends would talk about what they wanted to be when they grew up. Lawyers and doctors were among the favorite future vocations, but when it came to Sergeant Kertz, "I wanted to join the military because I wanted to do something no one in my family had done," she said. "I wanted to do something that would make me proud of myself," Sergeant Kertz, 24, continued. "The topper was in knowing our country was at war and I didn't feel I should be any different than any other man or woman fighting for our country. And I should (be) and wanted to be there with them. I joined and hopped on the first deployment I could." After her basic military training and training in psychological operations Sergeant Kertz was assigned to an airborne unit, the 301st Psychological Operations Co., in San Diego, Calif. before she deployed to Iraq in early 2005. "I worked on identifying, analyzing and creating products to influence the target audience in support of coalition forces and Iraqi forces," Sergeant Kertz said. "I took part in combat and air missions with my fellow psyop team members and spoke with village leaders to gather intelligence," Sergeant Kertz continued. "I created nearly a thousand psyop products (billboards, posters, comic books, soccer balls, stickers, toys, tri-folds, handbills and TV and radio commercials) most of which were disseminated all around Baghdad and throughout Iraq." According to Sergeant Kertz, she also helped develop the bi-weekly newspaper "Baghdad Now" and a newspaper for children, called "Baghdad Kids." "'Baghdad Now' was the only newspaper being distributed and when my tour ended in mid 2006 we upped production from 150,000 copies to 500,000 copies due to popular demand," Sergeant Kertz said. "'Baghdad Kids' featured coloring pages, quizzes and games for the Iraqi children," Sergeant Kertz continued. "I put the entire paper together. I designed the covers and selected what the theme for each month would be. I would select the coloring pages and the information we wanted to educate the children on that month, and create a game to do so." Both papers were printed in Arabic. Sergeant Kertz said she and the staff would produce the articles and have them translated by Iraqi workers. Sergeant Kertz came to the U.S. Transportation Command in December last year and now works in the Base Realignment, Closure and Transformation office where she handles administrative duties. "The team I work with is great, it's like a second family," Sergeant Kertz said. "It was so easy to come into this group and feel comfortable right away. Also, having the opportunity to work in a joint command, I feel like this has offered me a huge chance for growth in my military career. I like working with the other branches and seeing how diverse the military really is." Off duty, Sergeant Kertz enjoys running, reading, fishing and cooking with her husband, Army Staff Sgt. Darren Kertz, their son, Andrew, 2, and their adopted daughter and son, Dominique Morrison, 13, and Joseph Morrison, 14.