The Three Amigas In the face of disaster recovery activities, the three amegas, Karmen McKinley, Sgt. 1st. Class Vera Akomah and Kisha McClinton enjoy a brief respite. LA-RFO Photo by Tom Clarkson Back to Features

In a disaster, the heart of a mentor, matriarch and mom surfaces
By Tom Clarkson, public affairs specialist, Louisiana Recovery Field Office


NEW ORLEANS, LA … To look at them, sitting together joking and laughing after work, one might label them the three amigas.  The mutual admiration and appreciation is readily evident.  And while they are a most interesting amalgam indeed, clearly one among them is the lead. 

Iraq veteran, fifty-six-year-old Sgt. 1st. Class Vera Akomah from Charlottesville, Va., is the matriarch.  Her contractor mentorees are Karmen McKinley from New Orleans, 32, and 26-year-old Kisha McClinton from Kansas City, Mo.   

The three are supporting the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s recovery of South Louisiana and the New Orleans area.  The Army Corps of Engineers’ Louisiana Recovery Field Office is wrapping up two years of FEMA work which has included removing 28 million cubic yards of debris and demolishing about 5,000 structures.

It is very near and dear work for McKinley who had lost everything she owned to the disaster.  She acknowledged that she was, “Hurt, upset, irritated, displaced and had lost my job, but found two people who changed my entire attitude.” 

Their collective work is that of quality assurance regarding debris and demolition paperwork to be forwarded to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to ensure accurate payment for contractors and the Government.

In describing Sgt. 1st. Class Akomah, a military veteran of 17 years of active duty service and ten in the Army Reserve, McKinley says, “This Soldier’s dedication to this mission is remarkable.  Her extraordinary leadership abilities are obvious.  Additionally, I see the great respect other soldiers have for her.”  

Akomah’s philosophy, her team says, is to emphasize the individual importance, value, and contributions of every team member to encourage performance without being demanding.  

She is indeed a leader.  In both Desert Shield and Desert Storm, she was in the thick of it.  With the Second Armored Division, she was one of only two female Convoy Commanders – a most demanding and responsible post.  She led by example, not from some safe, secure, well protected “rear echelon billet” but from “the front”, effectively and efficiently, through her maturity and experience. 

Like any good leader, she defers compliments on to her team saying, with an obviously heartfelt smile, “Attention to detail is the imperative in what we do, but these girls are so good in their jobs that it almost renders me unnecessary.” 

With eyes glowing, McClinton, the youngest of the three, looks at her role model saying, “I have learned so very much since coming here.  First Sergeant Akomah has been a mom, a mentor, a teacher, a friend.  She has made a tremendous difference in my life.  She is my hero!”  

Noting that she had never worked with anyone from the military before, McKinley says that Akomah “has thoroughly impressed upon all of us that ‘quality comes first’.  As a result, we certainly work hard to do so.  Beyond that work ethic, I have found in these two women a bond, camaraderie and the very highest of quality in friendship.” 

With a slight smile and a glisten in her eye she says, “Who would have ever thought a life long friendship such as ours might come from a disaster like Hurricane Katrina?”