Photo By Natalie Cole | Sgt. 1st Class Justin Broadwater, with the 653rd Deployment/Redeployment Regional...... read more read more
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CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait - Sgt. 1st Class Justin Broadwater knows a thing or two about eliminating unnecessary risks. In 12 months on Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, he enrolled 142 soldiers in a Defensive Driving Course, and he followed through to ensure every soldier graduated. He ensured 100 percent of his unit completed risk management and accident avoidance courses. The senior noncommissioned officer also coordinated eight weapons qualification ranges, in which soldiers fired 15,000 rounds with zero accidents or safety violations.
These measurable accomplishments have all been a part of Broadwater’s role as Safety Specialist for the 653rd Deployment/Redeployment Regional Support Group, a reserve unit out of Mesa, Ariz. To recognize Broadwater’s performance, Maj. Gen. Kenneth S. Dowd, commanding general of the 1st Theater Sustainment Command, awarded Broadwater the 1st TSC Army Individual Award of Excellence in Safety, Sept. 28.
Broadwater said the award and the strong safety record of the 653rd reflect much more than his own successes. “Anything I do as a leader isn’t an award to myself, it’s a reward for the soldiers that work for me,” he said. “I didn’t do anything more important than they did. … I’ve tried to do everything I can to take care of them, and they’ve rewarded me in return with their outstanding safety records,” he said.
Broadwater is a member of the Active Guard Reserve, meaning he works full time for the Army when in the United States. Originally from Meyersdale, Penn., Broadwater said wearing the uniform gives him a sense of pride and purpose. He enlisted in the Reserves in 1998 and switched to the AGR after the terrorist attacks, Sept. 11, 2001. At that time, he became an Army recruiter to enlist others who wanted to be a part of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. After his stint in recruiting, he deployed to Iraq from 2006 – 2007 and then to Kuwait on his current deployment from 2009-2010.
Broadwater’s formal Army specialty is in automated logistics, but for this deployment he was selected to take on the additional duty of Safety Specialist because of his experience as a leader and his past work with soldiers. In general, Army Safety Specialists are responsible for arranging appropriate training, monitoring accident trends and sharing information to help soldiers eliminate unnecessary risks from an already dangerous occupation.
He explained that he approached safety as an integrated part of his job as a leader. “Me as a senior leader, I gotta take care of my soldiers, and then, two, as the detachment sergeant, safety is always your priority. It’s everybody’s responsibility,” he said. “So I took on that role … because … taking care of soldier’s means they understand the safety risks whether it be driving to another base or working in the admin office. There’s hazards and risks associated with everywhere when you’re deployed, so it’s very important that I [showed] the soldiers that, ‘Hey I don’t care where you work or what you do, safety’s important,’” he said.
Being a safety specialist requires that one lead by example, something that Broadwater said took discipline and focus on his part. “A lot of it is like self control. Being motivated on the days that the soldiers aren’t motivated. They feed off of your interactions, and I think it plays an important role in Safety,” he said. “If you’re driving fast, they drive fast. If they see you do hazardous things, they’ll do it. So, I had to make sure I kept myself always in the proper position, proper safety measures - just as a senior leader [be] somebody they can look [to] as a role model,” he continued.
He said part of his leadership style on the deployment included getting to know and supporting the people who work with him. “Everything that’s important to each person is different, so you gotta find that out, and as a senior leader I make it my goal to try to get to know every soldier. I don’t know them all personally, but most of them I can tell you a lot about their life and what their drive is, and thankfully I think for most of these soldiers, I’ve got their respect and they have mine 100 percent,” he said.
In addition to his professional goals to grow as a leader and integrate safety into soldiers’ lives, Broadwater said he wanted to advance his civilian education on this deployment. “The other important thing for me was to finish my Bachelor’s degree or at least really pursue it,” he said, adding that he now has only 20 credits to go and plans to be done by December. “I completed 13 credit hours while in-country and then did a lot of transfers…all my military background, I put it all together,” he said. His degree will be in Logistics Management, which is closely related to his military profession.
Because he is a member of the AGR, Broadwater will return home next month and resume working for the AGR in Arizona. Although his military experience will not change, the safety specialist is looking forward to being near his family again. “I got a beautiful little daughter who’s two years old, almost three, so it will be important to go home and see her,” he said.
| Date Taken: | 09.28.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 09.28.2010 10:59 |
| Story ID: | 57121 |
| Location: | CAMP ARIFJAN, KW |
| Web Views: | 277 |
| Downloads: | 9 |
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