Soldiers find motivation through service

Photo By Spc. Sharla Lewis | Sgt. Matthew Jacobs, a tanker with C Company, 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, said he does whatever it takes to motivate his Soldiers. "In the end, their motivation for the task at hand is all I need in return," he said.  

MOSUL, IRAQ

09.15.2009

Story by Spc. Sharla Lewis 

3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division

MOSUL, Iraq — Each Soldier in the U.S. Army is motivated by something different. Some Soldiers thrive to complete a task when they receive recognition for their work. Others need no recognition, but appreciate rewards after a job well done.

Troops with different job functions in 1st "Charger" Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division maintain their motivation just by being Soldiers and completing their mission.

Sgt. Maj. Richard Burnette, the battalion operations sergeant major, said that motivated Soldiers feel their own success through reaching a goal, no matter what it may be.

"When we accomplish those goals, we feel successful," said Burnette. "Accomplishing a mission breeds motivation and makes you want to go out and complete more missions. Success breeds success."

You can see these types of successes throughout the Charger Bn. Spc. Princess Thomas, a food service specialist, and her fellow Soldiers in E Forward Support Co., load pallets of food, drinks and cookware that are sent to troops stationed in joint security stations in Ninewah province, where amenities are typically scarce.

"[The job that I do] Serving the Soldiers that are outside the forward operating base that don't have the luxuries that we have motivates me," said Thomas. She also said that it was an honor for her to serve her fellow comrades.

Though Thomas and her coworkers aren't on the front line conducting combat operations, they play an integral role in the "Charger" mission according to Burnette.

"[E Co.] may not be out doing the combat patrols, but without their support and what they do, the combat Soldiers will not be able to accomplish their mission because they won't have those resources in place to make it happen," he said.

As Soldiers like Thomas move up the ranks into the non commissioned officer corps, they learn to use many different tactics to motivate their Soldiers.

Sgt. Matthew Jacobs, a tanker with C Co., believes that his purpose in life is to maintain his Soldiers' motivation. He does things like playing practical jokes, giving time off and arranging extracurricular activities to boost morale.

"I'll do whatever it takes to keep them positive," he said. "In the end, they're motivation for the task at hand is all I need in return. They get the mission accomplished and I thank them for it."

In an operational unit, the job duties of a Soldier are much different than the duties Thomas takes on each day but the motivation is the same.

After a mission that resulted in the detention of a local insurgent and discovery of a collection of illegal paraphernalia, Spc. Justin Porter, a rifleman with B Co., said he was motivated by the success of the mission but that wasn't the only thing that motivated him.

"Every day you wake up and you're motivated to help out the guys on your left and right. You want to be an example. No matter what I do, I'm doing my job for the United States," he said.

Porter said he was proud to follow in the footsteps of the members of his family who also served in the military. Serving in the Iraq conflict continues a legacy started by his grandfather.

"My uncle and my dad were in the Vietnam War and my grandfather was in World War II, so to say that I was in this conflict is nice," Porter said. "Someday when I am an old fart, I can tell my grandchildren that I actually did something."

While some Soldiers may need praise or recognition the 1st Bn., 12th Cav. Regt. troops prove that successful Soldiers create true motivation from within. They are rewarded by self-gratification or a successful mission or even pride in carrying on a family tradition of service to their country.

No matter what their reasons are for staying motivated, senior leaders like Burnette do not let these Soldiers' hard work go unnoticed.

"Without them, the senior leadership can't accomplish their mission. These Soldiers are the most valuable resource that we have. Without them, we can't do our job," he said. "That's the bottom line, we can't do it, it'd be impossible."

• Date Taken: 09.15.2009
• Date Posted: 09.22.2009 04:36
• Story ID: 39122
• Location: MOSUL, IQ