Sgt. Audie Murphy Club inductee finds purpose in helping others

BAGHDAD, IRAQ

09.29.2010

Story by Pfc. Emily Knitter 

United States Division-Center

BAGHDAD — Staff Sgt. Derick Polk was like any normal high school student, excited about graduating and heading to college. He didn’t know what he wanted to study, but higher education had always been important to him. He filled out college applications, applied for scholarships and waited.

Then life threw him a curve ball.

“I found out I was having a daughter, and my priorities had to change,” he said.
Forced to grow up much earlier and faster than his peers, suddenly, life was no longer about himself.

“What I personally wanted didn’t matter anymore,” said Polk, now the headquarters platoon sergeant with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Advise and Assist Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, United States Division – Center. “I went to day and night school in order to join the Army. I wasn’t supposed to graduate until June, but I took extra classes so I could graduate in March.”

Only planning on serving one enlistment, Polk saw the Army as a way to get on his feet and get his daughter and himself out of the projects in Camden, N.J.

“[I joined] to take care of my daughter, hands down,” he said. “I wanted to provide a better life for her. I was not planning on staying in.”

But the Army turned out to be exactly what Polk needed.

“Once I got in and became a noncommissioned officer, it was clear that this is what I was meant to do,” he said.

He has never looked back.

Originally making the decision to do whatever was necessary to support his daughter, he now finds purpose in life doing almost the exact same thing—supporting and mentoring Soldiers.

“I feel like developing Soldiers is what I am here to do,” Polk said. “Whatever is going on in my life does not supersede what is going on in a Soldier’s life. My main concern is taking care of my Soldiers all the time. Taking care of my Family got me where I am today and I will continue by helping to develop leaders and Soldiers.”

Polk still remembers the first time he saw a Sgt. Audie Murphy Club plaque.

He was a private first class stationed in Alaska and when he saw the plaque, he was immediately intrigued.

“I asked my leaders what it was, and they said it was for all the lead NCO’s who strive to do the best, take care of their Soldiers and contribute like Sgt. Audie Murphy did,” he said.

At 18 years old, he decided right then that he wanted to be a member of the club one day.

“Even though I didn’t fully understand what it was at the time, just based on what they told me, I knew I wanted to be that NCO one day,” he said.

Now, at 26, his goal has finally come true.

On Sept. 27, Polk was inducted into the SAMC by Sergeant Major of the Army Kenneth O. Preston during a ceremony at Camp Liberty.

Polk said long before the ceremony was even an idea in his mind, he had to spend countless hours studying for the SAMC board, but he has been preparing for the opportunity his entire career.

“As a private, I knew nothing about [the club],” he said. “I didn’t know what it took to be a member. But somewhere down the line, I grasped it. I didn’t see this, realize what it took to be in the club, and then start doing it. I just did what I knew as an NCO, what I believed was correct, and through my initial thought process [what I did] was what I needed to be in the club.”

Polk believes that is the reason he was chosen for the club.

“I believe I presented myself to the board as an NCO who truly cares about what he does, besides just answering questions correctly,” he said. “I feel like I answered the questions, ‘This is what I do.’ Yes, I learned some more material and programs, but my approach to this has always been the same.”

Being told he was selected for induction into the club was one of the happiest moments in his life, Polk said.

“After all that studying and all the work, it paid off,” he said. “It was one of my goals that I had set years ago, and to finally achieve this goal, there was nothing that could beat that.”

But becoming a SAMC member is not the final step.

“The Sgt. Audie Murphy club is an individual achievement you work for, but once it is attained it becomes an additional duty to help others,” he said. “You learn so much getting to this level to prove that you can help others. Once you get to this level, if you don’t help others, there is no point.”

As a high school senior, Polk never imagined his life would lead him to where he is now. But because of his daughter, he found his purpose in life, and an organization that even has a club to honor everything he believes.

Polk said although his sights are now set on becoming a drill sergeant after completing his current deployment, he is very content with his life.

“I have everything I want, not because I achieved and worked for myself, but because I spent more time taking care of others than taking care of myself,” he said. “I put my wife, my daughter, my Soldiers, and my peers first, and by putting them first, I have always gotten what I wanted and needed.”

• Date Taken: 09.29.2010
• Date Posted: 09.29.2010 02:16
• Story ID: 57153
• Location: BAGHDAD, IQ