Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Felix Fimbres | Sgt. Donna Grady, 316th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), participates in the foot...... read more read more
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FORT BRAGG, N.C. - Grace, elegance and beauty.
Sgt. Donna Grady has these personal qualities and more.
Painting, sculpture and faith have shaped who she is – right down to the very being of her soul.
All of these qualities are just camouflage for her persona as an Army Reserve Soldier competing in the 2015 U.S. Army Reserve Best Warrior competition at Fort Bragg, N.C., May 4-7.
“I’m a Soldier,” said Grady. “When it comes to the physical aspects, you can always train. When it comes to the intellectual part, you can always study, prepare and gain more knowledge, but the heart is what stays the same. I believe I have heart.”
Grady, a Pittsburgh native, is an automated logistics specialist and a mortuary affairs specialist, representing the 316th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) in this year’s competition. In fact, she is the only mortuary affairs specialist to ever compete in the nine-year history of Army Reserve Best Warrior.
“Being a mortuary affairs specialist makes you have appreciation for life,” said Grady. “It is as if you owe it to them to be a better person.”
At Best Warrior, Grady is going through four grueling days that will determine the top Noncommissioned Officer and Soldier of the Year across the Army Reserve. This year, she’s competing against 17 NCOs to earn that top title. Compared to previous competitions, this year’s Army Reserve Best Warrior is a complete mystery. Grady and her fellow Warriors were told to expect anything.
“For a competition like this, it is amazing because as a mortuary affairs specialist, we don’t get exposed to this kind of training,” said Grady.
Her civilian education also separates her from the typical Soldier. She recently graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a bachelor’s degree in studio arts and a certificate of Asian studies.
“Painting calms me down,” said Grady. “If I could do it while competing, I definitely would.”
For someone as soft spoken as her, it might seem like a disadvantage here. Sgt. 1st Class James Holloway, her supervisor at the 316th ESC, believes differently.
“She has an extreme advantage,” said Holloway, who is also her sponsor for this competition. “Other Soldiers won’t take her seriously. She may be very silent, but before you know it, she will pass you by.”
Grady has been training continuously for the last couple of months.
“She is in the best possible position to win,” said Holloway. “I have coordinated with subject matter experts to get her the best.”
She has been working with experts in Special Forces, Sexual Harassment/Assault Response Prevention, Equal Opportunity, supply, spent two weeks with combative experts, and completed several ruck marches.
“It will shock me if she is surprised by any mystery event,” said Holloway. Throughout the competition Soldiers get thrown into mystery events - evaluated scenarios without any prior knowledge.
This is not her first time in a competition like this. During her deployment, she discovered her resilience would drive her to compete among Best Warriors.
“The saying ‘what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger’ really is true,” said Grady. “I started thinking, ‘What else could I do that I didn’t think I could do?’”
With this mindset, Grady won the 1st Special Troops Battalion Best Warrior Competition as a private first class while in Afghanistan. She went on to achieve second place in the 1st Theater Sustainment Command (TSC) competition.
This time around she’s made it this far after winning the 377th TSC Best Warrior Competition at Fort Devens, Massachusetts, in April, and at her 316th ESC competition before that.
Along with her overseas experience, her faith helps guide her to accomplish goals that she never thought were possible.
“The key is to stay true to your faith,” said Grady. “Even when you have a heavy heart, and it seems like there is no hope, just remember that you will always have your faith.”
Faith is what brought her through the emotional demands of her mortuary affairs work in Afghanistan. Faith is what has brought her this far. Win or lose, faith is what will guide her through the rest of her journey.
| Date Taken: | 05.05.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 05.05.2015 21:56 |
| Story ID: | 162365 |
| Location: | FORT BRAGG, NC, US |
| Hometown: | PITTSBURGH, PA, US |
| Web Views: | 274 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, The heart of a warrior, by SSG Elizabeth Barlow, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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