3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (AA) Public Affairs

Story by Pfc. Christopher McKenna

By Pfc. Christopher McKenna
3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (AA) Public Affairs Office

FORWARD OPERATING BASE MAHMUDIYAH, Iraq – He earned a Combat Action Badge during his previous deployment and is the only Soldier in the platoon to have returned fire to counter enemy fire during this deployment.

Pfc. James Quesada, a mechanic, uses his knowledge of weapon systems and experience from a previous deployment to benefit others.

"I deployed my first time around [2006] out of Germany, and when I got to [Fort] Campbell, I was hand-picked by the first sergeant to be a part of the distribution platoon as a gunner," said Quesada, from Jonesboro, Ark., Company G, 3rd Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault).

"I have gunned the entire deployment, and we have only taken fire once; ...in a nutshell, I am out there pulling security for the convoys, and when it comes to getting stuff done, we all pitch in," he said.

The experience he gained from his previous deployment made him a vital asset in molding the minds of the new gunners to his company.

"I take all the new gunners that come in and train them, making sure to get them up to speed so that if I ever go down, or go on leave, that they will have no issues in taking my spot," Quesada said.

"He is very mission-minded and focused; he does what he is told to do and does it with competence," said Sgt. Jonathan Lehman, from Philadelphia, Penn., Co. G, 3-320th FA, squad leader. "He's definitely one of the best gunners in the company, if not the entire battalion."

With more than three years in the Army, the recently married Quesada is weighing his options for his future.

"Before I got married, I only had to worry about what was good for me, but now I am thinking from a different perspective," Quesada said. "I enjoy what I am doing, but for me to continue doing it really depends on how my wife handles this deployment."

If he does choose to stay in the Army after this deployment, he said it would be to see and experience new things.

"The Army has given me the opportunity to grow as a person and become more diverse, giving me the opportunity to both lead and follow," he said. "I think that going out to the civilian side I will have a different perspective. No matter how hard things seem to be, they can always get worse."

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