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    Transportation company Soldiers conquer brigade quarter board

    Transportation Company Soldiers conquer brigade quarter board

    Photo By Sgt. Keith Anderson | Command Sgt. Maj. James Spencer (left), command sergeant major, 16th Sustainment...... read more read more

    QAYYARAH, IRAQ

    04.28.2009

    Story by Sgt. Keith Anderson 

    16th Sustainment Brigade

    CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE Q-WEST, Iraq — Twelve Soldiers from seven battalions around northern Iraq competed for the title of Warrior or Warrior Leader of the Quarter at the 16th Sustainment Brigade quarter board here April 22.

    Soldiers began the day with a multiple-choice test on a wide range of Army topics in the morning, and then individually faced a panel of battalion command sergeants major, and Command Sgt. Maj. James Spencer, command sergeant major, 16th Sust. Bde.

    In the board, Soldiers disassembled their weapons and answered questions on topics such as map reading, land navigation, combat lifesaver, Army customs and courtesies, current events, and several others. They also arranged military ribbons in the order of precedence, recited the "Creed of the Non-commissioned Officer," and sang the 3rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command song.

    But one Mannheim, Germany-based transportation company from Contingency Operating Base Speicher outshone all the others at the quarter board. Soldiers from the 70th Transportation Co., 391st Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 16th Sust. Bde., took home both brigade titles.

    Spc. Jonathan Patton, gun truck driver, 70th Transportation Co., 391st CSSB, outshined five other battalion board winners to earn the Warrior of the Quarter title, and Sgt. Ahmad Mahmoud, gun truck commander, 70th Transportation Co., 391st CSSB, defeated five of his peers to earn the Warrior Leader of the Quarter title.

    Both Soldiers will advance to the 3rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command's quarter board.

    "It felt good to represent our command sergeant major and battalion and be a part of the great things we do," said Patton, a native of Ft. Worth, Texas.

    The Warrior Leader of the Quarter, Mahmoud, a Houston, Texas, native, said he was already looking forward to the next board.

    "I'm excited by the fact that I won, and I'm looking forward to the responsibility of representing the 16th Sustainment Brigade at the 3rd ESC board," Mahmoud said.

    Mahmoud, who is Egyptian but in the process of getting American citizenship, said he came to the U.S. with his family when he was 12-years-old. He joined the Army in 2002 to travel, and is on his third deployment.

    Mahmound also distinguished himself recently when he served on the 391st CSSB's team at the 3rd ESC's "Sustainer Challenge" at Joint Base Balad from March 18 to 19. His team finished third in the competition out of 22 teams, the highest finish for any 16th Sust. Bde. team, and placed first in the combatives portion of the competition.

    Mahmoud said he was proud of his service in the Army, and wanted to make it a career, but he wanted to change jobs and become an Army linguist once he got full citizenship.

    Staff Sgt. Carleuna Hawkins, who sponsored Patton and Mahmoud at the board, said she constantly quizzed the two to prepare them for the board.

    "They had to carry index cards on them," said Hawkins, an Austin, Texas, native. "Regardless of what they were doing throughout the day, they'd get drilled, and they'd maintain their weapons and clean them every day."

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    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 04.28.2009
    Date Posted: 04.28.2009 07:35
    Story ID: 32954
    Location: QAYYARAH, IQ

    Web Views: 418
    Downloads: 332

    PUBLIC DOMAIN