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CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE KALSU, Iraq – It’s a meeting of leadership on a humid Iraqi summer day during Operation New Dawn, in Babil province, Iraq. Commander of the 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Lt. Col. Robert Rodriquez, meets at the Iraqi Police headquarters, behind closed doors.
Eyeing everyone is one sergeant, keen on the movements, gestures and hands motioning all around him. This is the personal security officer of the commander, the guardian. His name is Sgt. Eric Stoodley.
The Wapwallopen, Pa., native, Sgt. Stoodley enlisted in the Army as an infantryman in April of 2005. After finishing his training at Ft. Benning, Ga., Stoodley was assigned to Ft. Hood, Texas, as a Stallion. Less than a year later, he was on a plane flying to Iraq for his first deployment during the surge of 2006-2008.
Stoodley deployed a second time in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom 2009-2010, where he was attached to the Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division. There, he gained valuable experience.
Stoodley is a modern jack-of-all trades.
He is currently working a variety of jobs including: an infantry team leader, his company’s master driver, a training room non-commissioned officer, a unit movement officer and now a PSO. Leadership knows they can count on him to get the job done as he is respected for his competence and professionalism.
When asked about Stoodley’s selection for PSO, Rodriguez said, “He is the finest E-5 [sergeant] I have seen in 18 years. It’s obvious he is skilled, professional, and polite.”
Providing Rodriquez’s safety while he travels, Stoodley has a lot of responsibility.
It takes a special person to transition from your typical infantryman to lead a personal security detail.
“I pay attention to everyone around me, everything they do,” said Stoodley.
Watching him in action, his focus is on his surroundings, the people, the room they are in and the cars in the background driving by.
Stoodley enjoys this task, as it is different from the typical infantry job.
“It’s a challenge,” Stoodley says, "as there are a lot of factors involved that make the job far from easy."
“You can call it a family tradition,” Stoodley reflects, when he mentions how he got there.
His grandfathers and great uncles were all veterans. He shared their calling to serve, and even more so as he is now responsible for protecting others.
In this hostile environment, with many more risks, anything can happen, so one can imagine the caliber of soldier a battalion commander selects.
| Date Taken: | 09.01.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 09.03.2011 04:11 |
| Story ID: | 76376 |
| Location: | CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE KALSU, IQ |
| Web Views: | 44 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Eyes on, by 1LT Seth Model, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
