WWII hero Audie Murphy changes young man's life, motivates dedicated Soldier

Photo By Spc. Katrina Faulkner-Brown | Sgt. 1st Class Calvin Cameron, who is a native of College Park, Ga., and is assigned as a fires support non-commissioned officer with the Brigade Support Troop Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Multi-National Division – Baghdad, knocks out push-ups at the Forward Operating Base Loyalty pool, Oct. 24, 2008. Cameron stays in shape by conducting physical training twice a day.  

BAGHDAD, IRAQ

10.27.2008

Courtesy Story

4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division Public Affairs

By the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division Public Affairs Office

FORWARD OPERATING BASE LOYALTY, Iraq – It isn't every day that a person is afforded the opportunity to serve in an organization that emulates his "hero." However, such was the case for a Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldier from 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, who joined the coveted Audie Murphy Club at Forward Operating Base Loyalty in September.

Sgt. 1st Class Calvin Cameron, who hails from College Park, Ga., and serves with the Brigade Special Troops Battalion, was nominated by Master Sgt. Ron Camp, his supervisor, who hails from Gary, Ind., to appear before the board and compete for the privilege of becoming an Audie Murphy member.

"He has a strong aggression to accomplish the mission before he's told to," said Camp.

Part of the process of the Audie Murphy board included a question and answer session by Command Sgt. Maj. Christopher Greca, a Grayslake, Ill., native, who is the brigade's senior enlisted leader.

Cameron said his interest in joining the Army dates back to when he was in high school at Benjamin Banneker High School in College Park, Ga. He explained that his teacher, Mrs. Robinson, provided the names of 50 of the nation's notable leaders for the class to choose to write a report on. One of the names, Audie Murphy, was a bit different, which is really the only reason Cameron selected him as his subject.

Little did he know at that time that his research on Murphy and his accomplishments would inspire and motivate him to serve his nation in the Army – and eventually, drive him to excel to the point he, himself, would join the coveted Audie Murphy Club.

"With the help of the recruiter and the example of Audie Murphy, I was able to lose a massive amount of weight to join the Army," said Cameron.

As Cameron began his research about the life and history of Audie Murphy, he began to see how Audie Murphy overcame most of the obstacles he faced with his personal courage and sheer determination.

"Audie Murphy was an infantryman," said Cameron, "but I chose my job as a fire support specialist because as I read the Audie Murphy story, I got excited after he picked up a hand mike in a burned-out armored personal carrier to call for fire. Giving them the enemy's position saved the whole platoon. That earned him the Medal of Honor."

Murphy's story motivated him to make a major life-changing decision.

"When I was in high school, I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life until I read his story," said Cameron. "I knew for sure, after writing the report on Audie Murphy, that I was going to join the Army because I wanted to be somewhat like him."

He said he was even more motivated when he read about Murphy overcoming his own internal demons in his battle against his addiction to prescription drugs, which were given to him for "shell shock" after World War II.

"Murphy recognized he had a problem with drugs and decided to go cold turkey, off the drugs, by locking himself up in a hotel room for a week to deal with the withdrawals," said Cameron. "I was really impressed then."

Cameron took that story and channeled that determination against his own inner struggle – his weight.

"The recruiter told me that I was overweight by over 100 pounds, and I could not join until I lost the weight," explained Cameron.

And up stepped another motivating force, his Army recruiter, who went above and beyond by working with him for year in the delayed entry program to provide him the opportunity to lose the weight and achieve his goal.

Cameron ultimately succeeded in his battle over his weight problem and, as a result of his determination, he became a member of the Army team in June 2000 as a fires support specialist, he explained.

In light of his personal trials and tribulations – as well as that of his "mentor" – he offers the following advice for young Soldiers who may face own obstacles:

"Speed bumps will always come, but once you hit that speed bump, don't quit," he urged. "Just keep trucking so you can accomplish your goals. "Once you accomplish your goal, set your next goal and accomplish it as well."

Cameron appeared before the Audie Murphy board in September and said the board was an excellent experience. The questions, he explained, were situational based, which provided the aspiring members the opportunity to communicate their leadership styles and approaches to resolving potential problems and issues.

Cameron said his next goal is to achieve the rank of master sergeant within 12 years.

"I have done great things in the Army – and the Army is the only thing that I know and I love," he said. "I met my wife, who is my soul mate, and we had our four boys in the Army.

" Everything I have, I have because of the Army."

• Date Taken: 10.27.2008
• Date Posted: 10.27.2008 07:27
• Story ID: 25579
• Location: BAGHDAD, IQ