Excalibur Company excels at retention

Photo By Sgt. Shantelle Campbell | Staff Sgt. Richard Dees, a light-wheeled vehicle mechanic with Company E, 701st Brigade Support Battalion attached to 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division out of Fort Riley, Kan., stands with Capt. Tracy Castillo, the commander of Excalibur Company, after his re-enlistment ceremony, Sept. 28.  

BALAD, IRAQ

12.03.2009

Story by Spc. Shantelle Campbell 

4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division

BALAD, Iraq — For the second consecutive fiscal year, Company E, 701st Brigade Support Battalion attached to 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division out of Fort Riley, Kan., has exceeded its reenlistment mission.

According to Sgt. 1st Class Juan F. Cruz, of Arecibo, Puerto Rico and the career counselor for 1-28 Inf., the continued success of Excalibur Company has much to do with the company's top non-commissioned officer, 1st Sgt. Arnaldo Muniz and commander, Capt. Tracy Castillo, who has picked right up where the company's former commander left off.

"Reenlistment is a direct reflection of the morale of the company," said Cruz. "If Soldiers are happy, then they're going to be willing to reenlist ... but, if the Soldiers are disgruntled then they're not going to reenlist."

Muniz accredits his Soldiers for the success of his company and says that he takes pride in being a part of a unit where everyone takes care of each other.

"I'm very proud of my company, and there is no other company that works as hard and are as close knit as we are," said Muniz.

"We take care of each other," he added. "If one of my platoons is down the other one is going to step up, go on and carry on."

This is the first time Cruz, who has been a career counselor for five years, has seen such an accomplishment. He says that it's usually difficult for a unit to meet its reenlistment requirements after meeting them the previous fiscal year.

"That's [what] makes [Excalibur Company] so special because in two different fiscal years they were the first ones done and they had [until] September 30th of 2010 to be done with their mission [for this fiscal year]," he said, "and, they were done in a month and a half."

Cruz also accredits Staff Sgt. Anthony Patterson, the retention NCO for Co. E, for Excalibur Company Soldiers' decision to reenlist.

"He's motivated and he goes where ever his guys are," he said. "He also makes sure they get what they want."

"I can tell you it is good that Soldiers want to continue in the Army," said Muniz. "And, it's good that they want to continue making a career out of the Army."

• Date Taken: 12.03.2009
• Date Posted: 12.10.2009 12:35
• Story ID: 42562
• Location: BALAD, IQ