13th ESC Soldiers Attempt to Join Audie Murphy Club

Photo By Spc. Naveed Ali Shah | 13th Sustainment Command Soldier of the Quarter: Pfc. Greg Procopio, and Atlantic City, N.J., native, and supply clerk assigned to Headquarters, 260th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 10th Sustainment Brigade.  

BALAD, IRAQ

08.29.2009

Story by Spc. Naveed Ali Shah 

13th Armored Corps Sustainment Command (13th ESC)

JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq — "Audie Leon Murphy was a legend in his own time," begins the biography recited by the three candidates at the board for the Sergeant Audie Murphy Club Aug. 27 at Joint Base Balad, Iraq.

The non-commissioned officers of the 13th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) recited the biography in front of a panel of sergeants major from all over the Iraqi theater, from Camp Speicher to Camp Taji.

The club was established in 1986 at the 13th ESC's home in Fort Hood, Texas. Carrying on the tradition, Command Sgt. Maj. Mark D. Joseph, the senior enlisted adviser for the 13th ESC, said he held the board during this deployment to challenge his Soldiers.

"The most important quality a candidate needs to have is confidence," said Joseph. "It's not about knowing the answer, the Soldier also needs to be able to maintain military bearing throughout the process."

The situation-based questions required Soldiers to do more than simply memorize and quote regulations. The NCOs described theoretical courses of action for situations they could encounter as leaders.

Staff Sgt. Aileen Lynn, a platoon sergeant with the 89th Transportation Company, 260th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 10th Sustainment Brigade from Fort Eustis, Va., said her entire career has been a stepping stone leading to this board.

"I've been getting ready for this board my whole NCO career," she said. "The last six weeks I really buckled down. I learned regulations and just reviewed what I knew about my Soldiers."

The difficulty of the board is increased by the rapid-fire questioning, but Lynn said the hardest part was not knowing what to expect.

Two of the three candidates, including Lynn, overcame the challenges they faced to be recommended for induction into the prestigious club.

Joseph said, "There is always room for improvement, and one NCO will have to come back when he's better prepared, but overall the Soldiers did very well. I was impressed by their knowledge and expertise."

• Date Taken: 08.29.2009
• Date Posted: 08.29.2009 18:47
• Story ID: 38114
• Location: BALAD, IQ