For ‘Sarge,’ helping others is his service

PHOTO BY MARÍA CAMP Adam Carter stands between the U.S. and Alabama flags wearing his Air Force camouflage jacket. Carter worked primarily as a jet engine mechanic during his 10½ years in the Air Force. SPRUCE PINE — Adam Carter said the nickname “Sarge” dates to his freshman year of high school. Carter said he wore one of his father’s Army shirts to football practice and his teammates connected his last name with Sgt. Carter, the drill instructor on “Gomer Pyle, USMC.” “After 10 years and becoming a noncommissioned officer in the Air Force, I tell everybody I earned that nickname,” Carter said. Now a veterans service officer, he helps other veterans and their families pursue benefits. Carter said he knew from an early age that he would join the military because his father, Danny Carter, served in the Alabama Army National Guard for more than 20 years, attaining the rank of sergeant first class.

This excerpt comes from the named source. Read the original for the full reporting.