Courtesy Photo | Lt. Col. Tim Brumfiel, commander of 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Advise...... read more read more
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CONTINGENCY OPERATING STATION GARRYOWEN, Iraq – In one fell swoop, the ‘Warhorse’ Battalion met and exceeded its retention mission for fiscal year 2012. The battalion re-enlisted 41 soldiers in a ceremony held at 3 p.m. on Contingency Operating Station GarryOwen, Iraq Oct. 3, 2011.
“There are three things a commander loves to do,” said Lt. Col. Tim Brumfiel, commander of 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division. “Promotions, present awards and reenlist soldiers.”
The ‘Warhorse’ Command Sgt. Maj. Tim Metheny, and Brumfiel got a chance to do just that as they thanked the assembled group for their sacrifice and commitment, and extended that
thanks to the soldiers' families whose support is instrumental in allowing the Army to accomplish the many diverse missions America asks of it.
Staff Sgt. Brandon Rans, a native of Rochester, Ind., and a career counselor with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, and Staff Sgt. Brandy Brown, a Lufkin, Texas native
and a transportation section sergeant and company career counselor with Fox Company, did the heavy lifting to ensure that all of the details for the ceremony were in place.
Leading up to the reenlistment ceremony, the two non-commissioned officers worked from early in the morning until 3 a.m. and some days until 5 a.m. to ensure that each soldier's re-enlistment packet was complete.
“Each soldier's packet takes about 40 minutes to put in the system, because the internet is so slow here, and do a thorough screen to ensure that they qualify for reenlistment,” said Rans.
Almost all of the soldiers qualified for a deployment bonus. Most bonuses were $2,500 with one Soldier reenlisting for a bonus of over $10,000.
“The fiscal year 2012 soldiers only have a 120-day window to reenlist,” said Rans. “A lot of them are jumping at the opportunity before it passes and they have to ETS or end their
service.”
Staff Sgt. William Chinn, a native of Arlington, Texas and a tank commander with 1st Platoon, Charlie Company, reenlisted in the ceremony to continue his 10-year career.
“It wouldn't have made sense to leave,” Chinn said. “I would have felt like a quitter after this much time. The Spartans used to say the greatest glory a man can achieve in life is to give
his life for Sparta. That's how I feel about America. My father was in the Army and went to Vietnam, and all eight of his brothers were in the Army, and most served in Vietnam. It's a
family tradition. I feel like it's my destiny.” he added.
In addition to reenlisting during this deployment, Chinn also earned the Purple Heart for wounds received in a rocket attack over the summer that killed his friend Sgt. Steven Talamantez.
Sgt. Shawn English, a tank commander with 3rd Platoon, Delta Company, and a native of Austin, Texas reenlisted for another six years in the Army. English has been with 3rd Bn., 8th
Cav. Regt. his whole career and has deployed three times with the ‘Warhorse’ Battalion.
“I had a family member pass away in 9/11, and as soon as I could get in, I joined the Army,” English said. “I love my job. I couldn't see myself doing anything else. I could work in
the oilfield and make $100,000 a year, but the Army's worth too much to me.”
Rans' and Brown's hard work was supported by the ‘Warhorse’ leadership during the entire process.
“The command has been very proactive in this reenlistment ceremony,” Rans said.
The battalion commander and command sergeant major offered an incentive for reenlisting soldiers to attend college courses for a semester as their place of duty. Soldiers show up for physical training in the morning and then are released for the rest of the day to attend classes.
Brown enjoys the job she's been doing for the past five years so much that she plans on becoming a career counselor full-time.
“I enjoy helping soldiers get what they want. I try to go out of my way to help them. I remember what it was like trying to figure things out as a junior enlisted soldier, when it can be
hard to know what's available,” said Brown. “If you're going to have a job, you might as well like it, and I also try to help them gear their career choices to what might help them after the
Army as well.”
| Date Taken: | 10.03.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 10.17.2011 08:49 |
| Story ID: | 78592 |
| Location: | CONTINGENCY OPERATING STATION GARRYOWEN, IQ |
| Web Views: | 154 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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