Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Mark Albright | Spc. William Aycock poses for a photograph at Contingency Operating Site Kalsu, Iraq....... read more read more
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BABIL, Iraq – Being a superior soldier is the goal of all soldiers. Identification as a top performer is the path to that recognition from your peers.
Capt. Nadia L. Traylor, 66th Military Intelligence Company commander from Waldorf, Md., and Spc. William Aycock, of Grosse Ile, Mich., also from the 66th MI Company, 3rd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, have been nominated for two separate Army-wide military intelligence awards for their outstanding performance while serving in the regiment.
Based on their superior contributions to the regiment’s critical mission in southern Iraq, the two were nominated for the Lt. Gen. Sydney Weinstein Award and the Command Sergeant Major Doug Russell Award. The Weinstein award is for excellence in military intelligence for company grade officers. The Russell award recognizes the outstanding achievements of enlisted Soldiers, sergeant and below, within the Military Intelligence community. Both are awarded annually.
“What they are looking for are some basic traits and how you have impacted the MI Corps,” said Traylor. “We are excited to have the opportunity to be recognized by the MI community.”
Traylor, a Military Intelligence Officer and Florida A&M graduate, serves as the top officer in the unit as the company commander. She advises the regimental intelligence section and the regimental commander on the capabilities of the 66th MI assets and how to best leverage them in the unit’s current area of responsibility in Iraq. She is ultimately responsible for the ability of the company to provide intelligence products to the Regimental Commander in support of the 3d ACR’s mission. Her responsibilities also include the health and welfare of 94 Soldiers in the unit and their families.
“A major part of my job is providing the regiment the capabilities that are required to operate in Iraq,” said Traylor. “I get to do that a lot throughout the regiment for the squadrons and the headquarters.”
Aycock is a Farsi linguist who serves as a signals intelligence analyst for the unit. He is responsible for analyzing intelligence data and creating products designed to assist the unit and its Iraqi counterparts.
He collects information from multiple sources and compiles it to have a more complete understanding of the operations conducted by the 3rd ACR.
“Before I came here, I never studied the signals intelligence field, but when I got into it, I really liked the work and the pacing. I get to fight against the insurgents on a daily basis,” said Aycock.
Aycock joined the regiment two months before its deployment in support of Operation New Dawn.
“There is so much to do. It keeps me motivated. I have been able to do a bunch of things I would not normally get to do as a linguist,” said Aycock.
“He was just able to pick up his new position very quickly, in just a matter of weeks. I have been amazed by his performance,” said Traylor.
Aycock has learned he did not earn the Russell award, but he did compete very well among the Soldiers that were nominated throughout the Army. Traylor’s nomination is still being considered by a review board.
| Date Taken: | 02.09.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 02.15.2011 04:36 |
| Story ID: | 65449 |
| Location: | BABIL PROVINCE, IQ |
| Web Views: | 472 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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