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TUPELO, Miss. - Booker T. Washington, who was an advisor to Presidents of the United States said, “Nothing ever comes to one, that is worth having, except as a result of hard work.” Army Staff Sgt. Cody Espinoza proved himself a warrior as he worked hard and trained for a couple years to finally reach the national level in the 2014 Best Warrior Competition at Camp Robinson in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Espinoza’s story starts off fairly normal, he claims, but there is no “normal” in life, as he learned as a child to appreciate the lifestyle his parents worked hard to provide. Espinoza did not always have certain luxuries in his life, but he did always have the necessities. Living with what you need makes the things you want mean much more, especially when one is able to provide themselves with the comforts of the world. As soon as he was old enough to begin to work, which was the age of 16, he seized the opportunity wholeheartedly.
Espinoza decided, during his junior year in high school, he would join the Army National Guard, completed basic training that summer and graduated from Advanced Individual Training after he completed high school. He felt the duty to serve his country calling his name, and he followed his heart, continuing a legacy by following in his grandfather’s footsteps. Espinoza, a natural leader, also became a role model for friends of his, who joined shortly after he did.
Currently in the 2-20th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Espinoza proves to be a jack-of-all-trades, with a variety of skills in numerous areas. So far, he has completed Air Assault Training, Combatives level one and two training, is qualified with two different military occupational specialties, and two deployments under his belt.
A few of his goals are to complete Combatives levels three and four, attend Airborne School and become a jumpmaster, earn the 68W Healthcare Specialist MOS, attend Ranger School, and to be chosen in Special Forces Assessment and Selection, and also attend the Q course as an 18D. Currently, he has two job qualifications, 14S, which is an Avengers Crew Member, and 14G, Air Defense Battle Manager System Operator, and currently he serves as the administrative NCO for his unit.
In 2013, Espinoza competed for NCO of the Year, moving onto regional level. A long time friend and colleague, Sgt. 1st Class Jerry Steele now with 1-204th ADA, Bravo Battery, sparked his interest in competing. Not only did he help push Espinoza to compete, Steele has been a sponsor for both the 2013 and 2014 competition, helping to train him and also make sure Espinoza had everything he needed, from food to a list of the day's events to cheering him on, even at events starting at 0230!
Espinoza decided to team up with another soldier who was competing for soldier of the year during the state-level competition. The two soldiers stood by each other to push and support one another by helping the other study and stay on track in each event. This bond of camaraderie stood strong through state, regional and national as each made sure the other did their best.
Without the support of his unit, family, and battle buddies, winning the competition would have proven an even more difficult task.
The bond of brotherhood and loyalty to one’s country is an unbreakable one. Espinoza may not have won the National Best Warrior Competition of 2014, but he did earn the distinguished title of NCO of the Year, and proved that hard work pays off in many ways. Espinoza has proven that even administrative NCOs can compete and demonstrate the warrior’s ethos.
| Date Taken: | 08.15.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 11.05.2014 16:01 |
| Story ID: | 147082 |
| Location: | TUPELO, MISSISSIPPI, US |
| Web Views: | 199 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Staff Sgt. Cody Espinoza, Noncommissioned Officer of the Year for Mississippi, by SGT Jordan Morgan, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
