SAN ANTONIO - The 2012 Installation Management Command Soldier of the Year is no quitter.
“I lost my flashlight, lost my canteen, got cut up pushing through brush,” said Spc. Kevin Mulloy during land navigation of the IMCOM Best Warrior Competition, “but, all-in-all, it was a lot of fun.”
For five days in April, Mulloy represented IMCOM Central Region during the command-level competition at Camp Bullis.
The newest IMCOM Soldier of the Year, a 28-year-old transportation specialist from Fort Bliss, is also a lung cancer survivor.
Stationed in Italy at the time, Mulloy spent months being treated in Germany – including weeks in a quarantined sanitary room – before connecting with a Warrior Transition Unit. Eventually he improved enough to be transferred to the Warrior Transition Battalion at Fort Bliss.
Mulloy, determined to remain in the Army, began progressively more difficult assignments as he recovered.
“He’s a team motivator,” said IMCOM CSM Earl Rice. “He’s not just here focusing on himself. That young soldier is excited. He’s excited about life. And when his excitement turns into inspiration it’s infectious. It motivates others around him.”
“Because of my history, people were a little bit nervous,” Mulloy said of participating in his regional competition.
“I won it against some great competitors,” Mulloy added. “I’m standing here because of the motivation [from other soldiers].”
“Anybody who likes to compete on a physical level, on a mental level, knows that when you can mix yourself up with other great competitors, you’re going to somehow find a way to take it to that next level,” Mulloy said.
Mulloy, who is married with three children, credits his faith and Family for many of his successes, but also recognizes the importance of determination.
During his recognition ceremony, Mulloy recalled IMCOM Command Sgt. Maj. Earl Rice and Command Sgt. Maj. Donald Felt, IMCOM Central Region, saying “Mulloy, never quit.”
“Thank you for your words,” he said. “Two words. ‘Never quit.’ It really hit me.”
He will represent IMCOM at the Army’s Best Warrior competition later this year.
(Contributions were made to this article by William Bradner, Keith Smith and Neal Snyder, U.S. Army Installation Management Command.)