FORT SILL, Okla.--Fort Sill is home to the 2010 Larry L. Strickland Medal of Distinguished Achievement winner. Spc. Aaron DaShon Twyman, 2nd Battalion, 5th Field Artillery, Headquarters Headquarters Battery, is the Armywide winner.
"I came across this award when my noncommissioned officer gave me the packet," said Twyman. "It's something that you just do the requirements of the packet and write a biography about how you would like to emulate Sgt. Maj. Larry L. Strickland and you have to submit all the awards you have and all of the schools you have been to since you have been in the military. You get recommendations from your commander, your brigade NCOIC and stuff like that. And that's how they choose you."
Strickland was 52 and just a month away from retiring when American Airlines Flight 77 plunged into the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001, killing the 30-year Army veteran.
Twyman won multiple awards before being chosen for this medal.
"I was battalion Soldier of the month," said Twyman. "Brigade Soldier of the quarter, brigade Soldier of the year. I got an award for having the highest PT test in the battery. My score was 294. It is 304 now. And I got an Army Commendation Medal for being brigade Soldier of the year."
Twyman has only been in the Army for about two years.
"At first I wasn't sure if I wanted to make Army a career," explained Twyman. "I joined to pay for school. But since I have done so well, I didn't expect to make it this far so early, so I think I will give it a shot."
Twyman is currently a student at Central Texas College.
"I've thought about becoming an officer after I finish my degree," said Twyman. "But, I would like to become an NCO first, because I want to look out for Soldiers the way my NCO has looked out for me. I just want to give back. I hear so many Soldiers saying their NCO doesn't look out for them or their sergeant doesn't care. I want to make a difference in somebody's career like my NCO did for me. If he didn't help me out so much, I probably wouldn't want to stay in the Army. I am getting sent to the promotion board in August, so it shouldn't be too long until I am an NCO."
Twyman admits he wouldn't be where he is today if it weren't for some of his mentors, Sgt. Marcus Moody, Sgt. Stephen Wadsworth, Sgt. 1st Class Michael Richard and as he put it, "most importantly Sgt. Roxanne Foster."
Twenty-year-old Twyman worked with Alaska Airlines in his hometown of Seattle before joining the Army.
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