By 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade
CAMP STRIKER, Iraq – The 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, named its soldier and non-commissioned officer of the quarter for the first quarter in March 2, 2008.
The 3rd CAB, 3rd Inf. Div. commander, Col. Dan Ball, announced the winners, Sgt. Matthew Palmer, NCO of the Quarter, and Spc. Anthony Torrez, Soldier of the Quarter, during a dinner and ceremony in the flight line dining facility.
Both winners are members of Company D, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Aviation Regiment. Palmer and Torrez won several of these types of competitions at the battalion level, but this is the first win at the brigade level for either of them. The winners received an Army Commendation Medal, four-day pass to Qatar, a one year membership in the Society of the 3rd Infantry Division, a one-year membership to the Army Aviation Association of America and a monogrammed 3rd CAB hat and chair.
Palmer, from Peachtree City, Ga., said there was more to winning than prizes.
"It helped me prepare my troops for the board," he said.
It also helped him with his own future promotions, Palmer said. "I like to set myself apart and this is a great way to do that."
Torrez, from Palestine, Texas, said it helped him build self confidence and knowledge of the Army in general.
"After all the studying, I know a lot about the programs and how to get things done," he said.