Subscribe
On Jan. 26, 1945, a young Army 2nd Lt. Audie Murphy’s single-handedly repelled advancing infantry German troops supported by tanks near Holtzwihr, France. Murphy was just 19 years-old. His Medal of Honor citation details his “conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity involving risk of life above and beyond the call of duty in action with the enemy.” Murphy went on to fight in numerous battles and being hailed as one of the most decorated soldiers of World War II. He left active duty following World War II, became a member of the Texas Army National Guard and U.S. Army Reserves, retiring as a major in the late 1960s.
In 1986 at Fort Hood, Texas, Murphy’s home state, soldiers started the Sergeant Audie Murphy Club (SAMC) in his honor. Prior to earning a battlefield commission in 1944, Murphy was an enlisted soldier who served in the Mediterranean and European theaters, earning the Bronze Star, a Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster for his Bronze Star, the Distinguished Service Cross, the Purple Heart and the Silver Star. Since its founding, the SAMC has spread Army-wide, to all commands with installations retaining the selection process for their own noncommissioned officers, but with all stressing those values exhibited by Murphy during his military service: loyalty, discipline, professionalism and caring.
On May 9, the SAMC for Troop Command at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center inducted its newest members, Army Staff Sgt. Jordan Miller, during a ceremony held at WRNMMC.
“It’s an honor to even be considered being inducted into this club,” Miller said. “To even attempt for the selection process, you have to want to be a great leader. It took a lot of discipline to prepare for the boards, but I really want to give back to the community and to the Soldiers.”
A native of Miamisburg, Ohio, Miller enlisted in the Army “to travel and do something different” after graduating from Miamisburg High School in 2008.
“I used to be a signal support system specialist,” she added. She then re-classified to pharmacy in 2012, and served as a pharmacy tech at Fort Lee, Virginia and Fort Carson, Colorado. She was then selected become a drill sergeant, and served at Fort Benning, Georgia before being assigned to WRNMMC. She currently serves as the ambulatory pharmacy services non-commissioned officer-in-charge Walter Reed Bethesda.
Upon arriving at WRNMMC in August 2018, Miller’s supervisor pulled her aside and asked her if she was “Audie Murphy.” She explained that she was not, but Army Master Sgt. Bridgette Bankhead, a 2012 SAMC inductee, saw Murphy’s leadership skills, how she carried herself, and knew she was SAMC material.
“From the moment she arrived at Walter Reed Bethesda, she showed a personal concern for the needs, training, development, and welfare of our Soldiers and Sailors here,” explained Bankhead, the senior enlisted leader for the Department of Pharmacy and acting senior clinical NCO in charge for WRNMMC.
“Staff Sergeant Miller is not your average NCO, and it shows the moment you come into contact with her,” Bankhead continued. “She is that leader who goes the extra mile to take care of her subordinates and completes the mission. Staff Sergeant Miller motivates the Soldiers and Sailors in a unique way that shows them potential that they never knew they possessed.”
Miller credits her accomplishment to her mentors – Bankhead, Army Master Sgt. Amanda Miller and Army 1st Sgt. Frederick Gibbons. They not only worked with Miller to ensure she was prepared for her boards at Troop Command and Regional Health Command Atlantic, but also to further develop her as a leader. Upon passing her board in March at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, Miller was told that she had made it into the SAMC.
Her induction into the SAMC adds to her growing list of accomplishments. Miller already holds a Bachelor of Science degree in health science from Purdue Global University, and is working toward completing her master’s in health-care administration from the same institution. She also plans to earn the Army’s Expert Field Medical Badge in the near future, and will be promoted to sergeant first class in the fall.
This month, Miller will continue her Army career when she reports to the Defense Health Agency’s headquarters in Falls Church, Virginia to serve as the senior pharmacy subject matter expert for the Military Health System Genesis deployment throughout the DHA.
As a senior staff NCO, Bankhead gave parting advice to Miller, and to all Soldiers seeking to be inducted into the SAMC: “Continue to lead from the front. Never hesitate to care for people placed in your tutelage. Remain ethical and moral in all that you do, and always be willing to give back to your subordinates and to the community.”
| Date Taken: | 06.11.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 06.28.2019 15:59 |
| Story ID: | 329702 |
| Location: | BETHESDA, MD, US |
| Web Views: | 101 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, WRNMMC pharmacist inducted into Army’s prestigious Sgt. Audie Murphy Club, by Mark Oswell, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
LEAVE A COMMENT