Susan Marshall of Pulaski County, presented with the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award, signed by President Joe Biden

In addition to the role of the human resource she has performed for the U.S. Army Prime Power School here over the years, Susan Marshall has been doing quite a lot in the background for the local community. From helping out at area nursing homes to housing the homeless and feeding hungry children throughout Pulaski County, Marshall has given more than 10,000 hours of her time to helping people in need. Her efforts were recognized this month when she was presented with the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award, signed by President Joe Biden. “I’m honored,” Marshall said of the award. “Not that I do it for the accolades; I do it because I care about people, but I’m honored that someone sees my heart.” The Army brought Marshall to Fort Leonard Wood — she retired here in 2008, after completing 22 years of active-duty service — and the volunteer work she always did as a Soldier continued as she transitioned into her current role as an Army civilian. She recalled one memorable moment on a Wednesday night in a church here in 2006, when she heard the words of a hungry child. “On Wednesday nights, we always fed the kids,” she said. “To this day, I still don’t know why, but this particular Wednesday, we did not feed at the church, and I was tasked to take the kids home. I heard a little child in the back say, ‘What are we gonna do? The church didn’t feed us tonight.’ It broke my heart.” So, Marshall said she took the children to a restaurant. In addition to feeding the hungry here, Marshall took on another helping role for children in the area when she aided in organizing what she called the back-to-school extravaganza. “That’s where we provide book bags, school supplies, haircuts and personal hygiene items for local students,” she said, noting the extravaganza has now taken place for the past 19 years and is still running strong. Two years ago, Marshall also worked to open a homeless shelter here, and she said she’s already working to open a second one. Susan Marshall is the pastor of Still Usable Ministries Church in St. Robert.