Artist: 2005 - October 2006
Sergeant First Class Darrold Peters is a graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, a Graphic Communications major, and a minor in Marketing with emphasis on Advertising. While at USM he was a member of the Army ROTC program.
In 1982 SFC Peters enlisted in the Army as a Private First Class and graduated Basic Training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. He went on to Lowry Air Force Base in Denver, Colorado for Army Initial Training (AIT) and graduated as an 81E Illustrator.
SFC Peters' first assignment was at the Pentagon working in the US Army Audio Visual Center (USAAVC) as an Illustrator from 1983 to 1985. He then transferred to Field Station Augsburg in Augsburg, Germany where he was assigned to Support Battalion and worked as an Illustrator from 1985 to 1987. SFC Peters was next assigned to US Central Command at MacDill Air Force Base, Tampa, Florida from 1987 to 1991 and was an Illustrator there during the First Gulf War (Desert Shield/DESERT STORM). SFC Peters graduated Platoon Leadership Development Course (PLDC) at Fort Stewart, Georgia and Basic NCO Course (BNCOC) at Lowry Air Force Base, Denver, Colorado. He then returned to Field Station Augsburg in Augsburg, Germany from 1991 to 1994 where he served with the 701st MI Brigade and then with the 66th MI Brigade as the NCOIC of Visual Information. At the end of 1994, SFC Peters was assigned to the 35th Signal Brigade (Airborne) at Fort Bragg, North Carolina and was the Brigade Graphics NCO. He was then called up to the Pentagon to work as a Graphics Technician with the Joint Staff (J3 Operations Briefing Division), serving there from 1996 to 1999. During this time, SFC Peters graduated the Advanced NCO Course (ANCOC) at Fort Meade, Maryland. His next assignment was to NATO headquarters at Stavanger, Norway where he was NCOIC of the Multimedia Section from 1999 to 2002. Following completion of that assignment, SFC Peters relocated to the Warrior Preparation Center at Einsiedlerhof Air Station in Kaiserslautern, Germany. There he was NCOIC of the Multimedia Studio Graphics as well as a platoon sergeant and official photographer. SFC Peters' last assignment was to the US Army Center of Military History at Fort McNair, D.C. as the US Army Staff Artist. SFC Peters was instrumental in introducing the painting category of Digital Natural Media Painting. He was there from 2005 to 2006 and retired with 24 years as of the end of October 2006.
SFC Peters' career saw participation in URGENT FURY (Grenada), DESERT SHIELD/DESERT STORM, KFOR V (Kosovo), and numerous other operations such as ERNEST WILL (oil tanker escort), the Khobar Towers response, and the response to the embassy bombings in Africa.
SFC Darrold Peters' awards and decorations include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal (2), Joint Service Commendation Medal (3), Army Commendation Medal (6), Joint Service Achievement Medal (3), Army Achievement Medal, Joint Meritorious Unit Award (3), Army Superior Unit Award, National Defense Service Medal (2), Kosovo Campaign Medal, Noncommissioned Officers Professional Development Ribbon (3), Army Service Ribbon, NATO Kosovo Medal, Global War on Terrorism Medal, and the Joint Staff Identification Badge. He also earned the German Marksmanship Badge (Gold).