Photo By Kimberly Hackbarth | Sgt. 1st Class Jose Weeks, a platoon sergeant with Battery B, 2nd Battalion, 12th...... read more read more
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JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. - When Sgt. 1st Class Jose Weeks came to work Feb. 2, a mysterious letter with no return address in a small manila envelope was waiting for him.
It was a letter from Maj. Gen. David Halverson, the commanding general of the United States Fires Center of Excellence and Fort Sill, notifying the platoon sergeant with Battery B, 2nd Battalion, 12th Field Artillery Regiment he had won the 2010 Gruber Award - distinguishing him as the best field artilleryman in the Army.
“I was very excited,” Weeks said. “I can’t describe the emotions.”
The Panama City, Panama, native explained he had no idea he was nominated until he received an email stating he was one of the final three finalists for the award, just a few weeks before he actually won.
“It's my chain of command who nominated me that felt I deserved the award. I have to thank them for that,” Weeks said.
The Gruber Award - named after Brig. Gen. Edmund L. Gruber who, as a first lieutenant, composed “The Caisson Song” that later became the Army’s official song - represents excellence for a field artilleryman, said Weeks' battalion commander, Lt. Col. Terrence Braley.
“Sgt. 1st Class Weeks, is an adaptable, flexible leader and a master artilleryman,” Braley said. “He can move from doing his core competencies to firing battery platoon sergeant …to conducting crew drills on the M777 to the next day doing a presence patrol or a counter-(indirect fire) or –IED patrol without skipping a beat.”
Braley said he submitted the nomination months in advance so it wouldn’t be lost during the brigade's redeployment and block leave.
It was Weeks’ leadership, mentorship and actions during that deployment with 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, that helped him win the award.
His work with the Iraqi security forces was recognized by the United States Division – Center’s deputy commanding general, and his emphasis on and skillful execution of his platoon’s medical evacuation and casualty evacuation procedures directly saved the life of one of his soldiers.
“I remember that day very vividly,” Weeks said, recalling July 14, 2010, when his convoy came under attack.
“We were actually doing one of the last patrols [of the deployment],” Weeks said. “[It was] a right seat ride with the incoming unit and showing them around the area.”
As the patrol headed back to their base, the lead vehicle was struck by an explosively- formed projectile that ripped through the body of one of the soldiers inside, leaving a trail of shrapnel down his lower back and through his legs.
“As soon as we got hit, we called to find out if anyone was injured,” Weeks said.
The convoy pushed through the kill zone to a more secure area and continued first aid on the injured soldier.
Weeks said he remembered the medic jumping into the vehicle to provide further aid to the casualty. The soldiers inside the damaged vehicle had already initiated care and had applied a tourniquet to the wounded soldier’s leg, something Weeks himself had drilled repeatedly with his soldiers.
“We always rehearsed everything we would do as far as if the lead vehicle gets hit or the second vehicle gets hit,” Weeks explained. “It just so happened that the lead vehicle got hit.”
Acting quickly, Weeks and his soldiers opted to drive injured Soldier to Victory Base Complex, Iraq, which had the closest hospital, instead of waiting for a medevac helicopter.
“In the worst times there was a sense of camaraderie within the platoon,” Weeks said. “Everybody was working toward one goal, which was taking care of the soldier.”
His soldiers’ rapid response that day showed Weeks that he had done a good job of training and preparing them, epitomizing why Weeks deserved the Gruber Award.
However, the accolades he’s collected along the way from his peers and leadership hold the most significance for him.
“Just the fact that people around you recognize the hard work that you put into your work makes you feel great,” Weeks said. “To be recognized at that level among all my brethren in the field artillery really makes me feel excited and humble at the same time.”
It wasn’t only his fellow field artillerymen who were proud of him. A key figure behind the scenes of Weeks’ success, his wife Doris, said she was pleasantly surprised after finding out her husband won.
“I was very happy for him,” Doris said. “We didn’t even know he was being considered!”
While Weeks was deployed, Doris took care of their four children, including a set of triplets, along with all household duties. This allowed the platoon sergeant to focus on his deployed missions with less stress, knowing his home and family were in good hands.
“I think all military wives play a big part in all of it,” she said.
Doris herself did research on Gruber to find out who he had been and what the award meant. She was delighted that Weeks had earned such an honorable award.
“I'm so proud of him and his accomplishments. I think he really deserves it,” she said. “He loves his job and loves being a soldier.”
Weeks said winning the award makes him want to keep working hard, providing guidance and setting good example for his soldiers.
“The main thing that I always try to do is just do my job to the best of my ability and make sure that those around me get better at what they do.”
| Date Taken: | 02.03.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 02.07.2011 13:34 |
| Story ID: | 64941 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, WASHINGTON, US |
| Web Views: | 405 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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