Photo By Gino Mattorano | Sgt. Conner Crisafi was recently named a Sergeant Audie Murphy Award winner and is one...... read more read more
The Sergeant Audie Murphy Award is a rare and distinguished award only given to the top 1% of the Army’s Enlisted Corps and is a means of recognizing those NCOs who have contributed significantly to the development of a professional NCO Corps and combat ready Army.
Sgt. Conner Crisafi was recently named as a SAMA recipient and is one of the youngest Soldiers to ever earn a place in the distinguished ranks of the Sergeant Audie Murphy Club.
Crisafi, who just turned 21 earlier this year, is an Army Medic from Loveland, Ohio. He joined the Army in 2020 and is currently the Enlisted Aide for the Evans Army Community Hospital Command Team.
Crisafi says that he has always wanted to be in the medical field.
“I love being an Army Medic,” Crisafi said. “I love all the hands-on training. In high school I took a lot of medical courses, and then took a lot of intense college classes and that’s when I knew I wanted to be a Medic.”
Members of the Sergeant Audie Murphy Club, or SAMC, exemplify leadership characterized by personal concern for the needs, training, development and welfare of soldiers and concern for families of soldiers, and according to his noncommissioned officer mentors, Crisafi fits that mold to a T.
The SAMC philosophy is based on four words: Loyalty, Discipline, Professionalism, and Caring, according to Sgt. 1st Class Destan Martin, the EACH Operations NCOIC and lead SAMC advocate.
“The Club identifies NCOs who embody these four words, not individually, but holistically, Martin said. “Sergeant Crisafi embodies all these qualities. He selflessly volunteers his time for the community and organization. He continuously develops junior Soldiers, NCOs, and Officers of all ranks through multiple Soldier development activities. He always presents himself in a professional manner and is one of our top junior NCOs. He is, without a doubt, very deserving of the Sergeant Audie Murphy Award.”
In order to receive the SAMA, candidates go through a rigorous four-phase process. Phase one is Command Sergeant Major nomination. Phase two is a performance evaluation, where current SAMA members look at the achievements and performance of the candidate that merits special recognition. Phase 3 is the initial selection board held locally by SAMC members. And finally, Phase 4 is the Division level board, which is conducted by Medical Readiness Command-West for candidates from EACH.
Martin says he was not surprised at all that Crisafi received the award.
“The only thing surprising about SGT Crisafi being a recipient of the SAMA is how young he is and how junior he is in his Army career,” Martin said. ‘Given how he presents himself and performs, it’s not too surprising that he is our newest recipient.”
Crisafi says that he was surprised to learn that he received the award, but he’s glad all of his hard work and preparation paid off.
“This was the most intense board I’ve been to,” Crisafi said. “Everything I’ve learned is that you can always push yourself harder and each opportunity you’re given is just another stepping stone. I always try to take every step I can in the right direction because it will open new doors.
He credits the mentorship he received from Martin and other NCOs that helped him earn the award.
“Sgt. 1st Class Martin spent countless hours on Friday afternoons and after work helping to prepare me for the board,” Crisafi said. “I also had a lot of other mentors who helped prepare me along the way. I couldn’t have gotten it without their help.”
Crisafi says he wants to pay it forward by passing on that knowledge to other young Soldiers.
“I always tell them that sometimes there are opportunities that you might not like, but those opportunities may lead to something you do like, so take advantage of the opportunities you receive This competition also helped me learn more about available programs and ways to help Soldiers in the future, so I feel very prepared that if a Soldier had an issue, I could help them.”
Becoming a SAMA member separates NCOs from their peers as only 1% of the total Army population is awarded the SAMA.
“I realized that SGT Crisafi was going to be a good candidate for the award early on,” Martin said. “Good leaders throughout an organization know who the key players are. These are the small group of junior Soldiers and NCOs that are at almost every training event, volunteer event, task, etc. SGT Crisafi has always been one of those few.”
Martin says that earning the SAMA is both a humbling and rewarding experience and he wants to challenge any NCO who has not been awarded the SAMA to try for it.
For more information about the Sergeant Audie Murphy Award contact your unit SAMA advocate.
| Date Taken: | 08.17.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 08.16.2023 12:32 |
| Story ID: | 451462 |
| Location: | FORT CARSON, CO, US |
| Hometown: | LOVELAND, OH, US |
| Web Views: | 1,845 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Evans Soldier one of youngest to earn Sergeant Audie Murphy Award, by Gino Mattorano, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
LEAVE A COMMENT