PS Magazine’s
I Own This campaign is designed to recognize Warfighters across all services who exemplify the highest standards of care for their assigned vehicles and equipment and contribute in meaningful ways to their unit's overall maintenance and supply posture. In short, they live and breathe readiness.
This month, we had twelve (the most ever!) Warfighters nominated for this program. All are deserving of this recognition. One was selected at random to get the spotlight placed on them. For March 2021, that Soldier is SFC William J. Edwards, 635th Quartermaster Detachment, Pendel-Caminiti Army Reserve Center, Farrell, PA.
Spotlight Profile
SFC William J. Edwards (on left)
Army/Reserve
635th Quartermaster (QM) Detachment, 475th QM Group,
316th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), Farrell, PA
Nominated by: SFC Michael R. Gordon
How did you come to know/observe the nominee's actions? SFC Edwards volunteered to fill an unslotted maintenance position within the unit.
Why does this individual deserve recognition? SFC Edwards merits recognition because of his “can do” attitude and willingness to fill the void from the lack of a full-time maintenance NCO in our unit. On top of his regular Ready Reserve commitment and his full-time position as a mechanic at an Area Maintenance Support Activity, he’s taken the extra training necessary to master GCSS-A and then employ it to enhance the unit’s readiness posture. As a result, the unit has a clear path and excellent maintenance record now that he is able to input services and work orders and also request items such as parts and calibrations.
Any additional comments? He works above and beyond to maintain services and calibrations within our unit on all of the equipment on the modification table of organization and equipment (MTOE).
Also Nominated...
Soldier's Name: SPC Danier Alvarez-Cristia
Unit: FSC, 3rd BN, 5th SFG (A), Fort Campbell, KY
Position/Title: Wheeled Vehicle Mechanic
Component: Army/Active
NSN or End Item: Ground Mobility Vehicle (GMV) 1.1
Nominated by: CW3 William James
Justification: SPC Alvarez is a culmination of professionalism and service to the line. He serves as 91B wheeled vehicle specialist for a special forces unit. He is currently deployed in support of Operation Inherent Resolve and maintains a fleet of MATVs and GMV 1.1s. He consistently performs above and beyond by providing exemplary service and maintenance to all trucks and keeps our operational readiness at 95% or above. SPC Alvarez proves himself daily as a combat force multiplier by providing security for convoy operations during logistical resupply missions. He is an invaluable asset to our organization.
Soldier's Name: CPL Joshua C. Birkes
Unit: E CO, 1-62 ADA BN; Fort Hood, TX
Position/Title: Wheeled Vehicle Mechanic
Component: Army/Active
NSN or End Item: M1089A1P2 FMTV 5-Ton Wrecker
Nominated by: SFC Jesse Arredondo
Justification: CPL Birkes is a valuable asset to the battalion's maintenance program, working as a mechanic in the 1-62 ADA BN unscheduled and scheduled service’s shop. CPL Birkes plays a vital role in the success of the battalion’s air and missile defense mission. He assisted two forward-deployed batteries in the CENTCOM area of responsibility complete two LMTV semi-annual services successfully in conjunction with his company’s eight M1097 semi-annual services. He also stepped out the “comfort zone” of his MOS to assist the detection systems repairer in the completion of 120 night vision device semi-annual services. His excellent technical abilities allowed him to properly diagnose and troubleshoot issues on four pacing vehicles within the battalion, increasing the battery’s maintenance posture to continue their mission. CPL Birkes even went so far as to assist the Navy security forces repair five of their M1151A1’s used for base security. He dedicated over 60 hours to install parts on deadlined equipment to ensure mission success. He continues to prove his ability to maintain a high standard of maintenance while supporting various types of equipment. CPL Birkes always seeks self-improvement. He completed the environmental course located at Bahrain while also successfully completing six credits towards his associate’s degree, and accumulated over 375 correspondence course hours. CPL Birkes is continuously at the forefront of any maintenance operation; identifying faults and clearly articulating remedies is what separates him from his peers and clearly defines him as a true maintenance professional.
Soldier's Name: SGT Victoria Bridgen
Unit: B CO, 1-16IN, 1ABCT, 1ID; Fort Riley, KS
Position/Title: Shop Foreman
Component: Army/Active
NSN or End Item: M2A3 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle (BFV)
Nominated by: 1LT Austin Peterson
Justification: SGT Bridgen has served as the shop foreman for Bushmaster Company 1-16 IN BN for eight months. During this time, she has been attentive, dedicated, and motivated in all assigned tasks. She led her team from the front, ensuring BFV annual services were conducted to standard, while supporting a BDE mission as the only recovery asset. SGT Bridgen and the total Bushmaster field maintenance team have maintained the highest operational readiness rate across the BN from the start of her duties, a testament to her and their hard work, dedication, and technical knowledge of the M2A3 platform.
Soldier's Name: SPC Hunter D Geren
Unit: E FSC, 3rd BN, 5th SFG (A); Fort Campbell, KY
Position/Title: Recovery Vehicle Specialist
Component: Army/Active
NSN or End Item: HEMTT A4 M984A4 Recovery Truck
Nominated by: CW3 William James
Justification: SPC Geren exercises the Army value of duty. He’s currently deployed in support of Operation Inherent Resolve and maintains all equipment for a special forces unit. He provides candid feedback and is extremely motivated and dedicated to his assigned duties of wheeled vehicle mechanic/recovery vehicle specialist. SPC Geren provides mentorship to junior Soldiers, NCOs, and officers across our formation and conducts recovery missions on all things vehicular in nature. He has been through extensive training and provides operators with "top notch" support within our community, ultimately increasing the lethality of the formation. SPC Geren provides immeasurable service to our line and is a leader worthy of emulation by others.
Soldier's Name: SPC Tyler Guillory
Unit: E CO, 5-52 ADA; Fort Bliss, TX
Position/Title: Tactical Power Generation Specialist
Component: Army/Active
NSN or End Item: Electric Power Plant (EPP)
Nominated by: CW2 Michael McDougall
Justification: SPC Guillory is a very hard worker and strives to keep his firing battery operational through his consistent maintenance efforts on the EPP system. Furthermore, he far exceeds the standards and expectations on a daily basis. He is a vital asset within the unit.
Soldier's Name: SGT Mario B. Mercer
Unit: E CO., 1st Attack BN, 82nd Combat Aviation BDE; Fort Bragg, NC
Position/Title: Wheeled Vehicle Mechanic
Component: Army/Active
NSN or End Item: HEMTT A4 M984A4 Recovery Truck
Nominated by: CW2 Michael L. Thomas
Justification: SGT Mercer is a wheeled vehicle mechanic by MOS, but is extremely proficient on recovery operations and has become a subject-matter expert on power generation equipment. SGT Mercer was selected to serve as the single mechanic in a unit requiring maintenance of vehicles, fuel equipment and power generation. He maintains it all and continues to groom others in maintenance operations.
Soldier's Name: SFC Tommy J Narcis
Unit: HHC 83rd CBRN; Fort Stewart, GA
Position/Title: Battalion Maintenance Control Sergeant
Component: Army/Active
NSN or End Item: Fleet
Nominated by: CW3 James Miller
Justification: SFC Narcis, although older than most, has a motor that just won't quit. Before I can give him a task to complete, he either completed it or has it already in the works. There is no greater feeling than being able to trust your senior NCOs to get things done alongside you. SFC Narcis is constantly taking the time to help the company motor sergeants, scheduling training, and advising commanders and executive officers on maintenance processes and procedures. He sees problems before they exist and takes action to repair or prevent them. He gets his hands dirty and trains the maintenance Soldiers assigned to the battalion. He does all this while filling in for the 1SG when he is on temporary duty and is currently the S4 platoon sergeant.
Soldier's Name: SSG James L Oates, Jr.
Unit: 1461st Transportation CO; MI ARNG, Jackson MI
Position/Title: Senior Mechanic
Component: Army/National Guard
NSN or End Item: M915A5 Line Haul Tractor Truck
Nominated by: WO1 James Bassett
Justification: SSG Oates has been maintaining the unit equipment, 60 vehicles and 72 trailers, mostly by himself. He learned GCSS-A so he can track his own work orders while maintaining the fleet. His work has helped ensure the unit will be able to conduct current and future missions with minimal problems.
Soldier's Name: SGT Stephen M Oen
Unit: HSC, 601st Aviation Support BN, Combat Aviation BDE, 1ID; Fort Riley, KS
Position/Title: Enterprise Resource Planning Systems NCOIC
Component: Army/Active
NSN or End Item: GCSS-Army
Nominated by: SFC Zachary R Stockstill
Justification: SGT Oen personifies the values that we want all of our Soldiers to emulate. He takes the time to research what he’s not familiar with to enable him to process complicated transactions in GCSS-A. He also uses his knowledge to train his Soldiers, to ensure their understanding of the system so that he isn’t a single point of failure. Going above and beyond, he spent countless hours in a crumbling PLL shop fixing the shop/bench stock inventories. This action allowed the unit to stock high demand parts and resulted in a massive decrease in down time of critical fleet equipment.
Soldier's Name: CPL Patrick M Pettit
Unit: I Co, 334th BSB; MN ARNG, Austin, MN
Position/Title: Team Leader
Component: Army/National Guard
NSN or End Item: Polaris RZR
Nominated by: 1LT Eric Jezierski
Justification: CPL Pettit has spent countless hours maintaining Polaris RZRs for the benefit of his task force while deployed to the Horn of Africa. Many of these vehicles were acquired through coordination with adjacent units and the DRMO process. Without his efforts, the readiness and capability of the task force would be greatly diminished. Watching CPL Pettit coordinate with the special operations task force, Navy and civilian contractors, with no direct benefit to himself, has been amazing, and his maintenance efforts are unparalleled.
Soldier's Name: SFC Charles E Robertson
Unit: E FSC, 3rd BN, 5th SFG(A), Fort Campbell, KY
Position/Title: Maintenance Manager
Component: Army/Active
NSN or End Item: Carryall Truck
Nominated by: CW3 William James
Justification: SFC Robertson embodies a multitude of standards. He is currently holding the Rear Detachment 1SG/CDR position and still takes time to walk through the motor pool and check the line. He mentors junior Soldiers, NCOs and officers across our formation on all things maintenance. He coordinates external training to keep maintainers "top notch" within our community and ultimately increases lethality of our operators. He willing assumed the additional duties of managing the motorcycle/ATV mentorship program. He talks to Soldiers on a daily basis and ensures their welfare, increasing efforts on the maintenance floor, and inspires their buy-in from. His actions led the FSC's maintenance program to 1
st place and 2
nd place wins in the Army's Award for Maintenance Excellence.
To learn more about nominating a Warfighter for this recognition, read the article HERE.