Photo By Master Sgt. Jeff Lowry | Indiana Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Joshua Kempf waves the green flag signifying...... read more read more
INDIANAPOLIS - Six Indiana National Guard soldiers with the 76th Infantry Brigade Combat Team's Company C, 1st Battalion, 151st Infantry Regiment got VIP treatment at Sunday's Brickyard 400 courtesy of the Armed Forces Foundation and NASCAR.
The soldiers toured the Indianapolis Motor Speedway garages, met driver Joey Logano, attended the drivers' meeting, walked pit lane and watched the race from the NASCAR suite.
One soldier, Staff Sgt. Joshua Kempf, Noblesville, Ind., waved the green flag to start the 20th running of the Brickyard, won by pole-sitter and Hoosier Ryan Newman.
"I don't think words can explain that," said Kempf after waving the green flag from the starter's stand high above the famed 2.5-mile oval. "It was awesome. That viewpoint was a once-in-a-lifetime experience."
Kempf, an infantryman with Company C, is a dedicated race fan watching everything from midget cars to IndyCars.
"I've been watching racing my whole life, probably since before I was walking," said Kempf.
While the citizen in Kempf enjoyed the experience as a fan, the soldier in him held the experience in high regard.
"It's a real honor to be able to do something like this," said Kempf of being able to start the race and the festivities leading up to it. "It's been a wonderful experience."
Capt. Jeremy D. Troutman, the Company C commander, chose Kempf for his dedication and leadership skills.
"Staff Sgt. Kempf is loyal to Charlie Company, and not only him but his whole family is heavily involved in the family readiness group program. So we thought we'd give him that honor," said Troutman, who was also Kempf's platoon leader during the 76th's deployment to Iraq in 2008.
Troutman said that Kempf was put in a lead position in overseas convoys.
"He got that position because he was trusted and the thorough way he conducted missions and training," said Troutman.
Kempf had the highest find to detonation ratio, 10 to 2, of roadside bombs in their battalion while in Iraq.
Other Company C soldiers also praised Kempf, who also deployed to Iraq in 2003.
"He's put so much into the unit with his knowledge. There's not a Joe there who doesn't look up to him. He's a book of knowledge," said Staff Sgt. Justin Law, who works with Kempf at Company C and was also a part of the Armed Forces Foundation's Troops to the Track program.
And though Kempf has attended many races and many at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, for another soldier, Sgt. Nhat Nguyen, this was his first.
"To be a part of the Troops to the Track event, I'm afraid from now on everything else will pale in comparison. They just set the expectations so high," said Nguyen. "I wish everybody who puts on the uniform can do something like this."
This year, Troops to the Track will be a part of 26 of NASCAR's 36 races.
| Date Taken: | 07.28.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 07.30.2013 14:49 |
| Story ID: | 111069 |
| Location: | SPEEDWAY, INDIANA, US |
| Web Views: | 350 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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