Ten honored for exemplary service

By Carrie E. David (SMDC/ARSTRAT)August 17, 2011

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1 / 7 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
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2 / 7 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Lt. Gen. Richard P. Formica pins the Army Commendation Medal on Sgt. 1st Class Thomas Trout, Company E, 53rd Signal Battalion, Okinawa, Japan, during the Sergeant Audie Murphy Club induction ceremony at the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
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3 / 7 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Lt. Gen. Richard P. Formica presents Sgt. Anthony Wright, Company A, 53rd Signal Battalion, Fort Detrick, Md., with the Army Commendation Medal certificate during the Sergeant Audie Murphy Club induction ceremony at the U.S. Army Space and Missile De... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
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4 / 7 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Al Hobbs, retired Army sergeant major, presents the Sergeant Audie Murphy Club medal to Sgt. 1st Class Vincent Perches, 1st Space Bn., JTAGS-Central Command, Qatar, during the club's induction ceremony at the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Comma... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
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5 / 7 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Lt. Gen. Richard P. Formica congratulates and presents a coin to the eight present Sergeant Audie Murphy Club inductees during the induction ceremony at the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command's Redstone Arsenal ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
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6 / 7 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
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7 / 7 Show Caption + Hide Caption – 1st Sgt. Steven Adams presents the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command's new Sergeant Audie Murphy Club inductees and the command's Noncommissioned Officer and Soldier of the Year during the opening ceremony of t... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. - The U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command inducted 10 noncommissioned officers into the prestigious Sergeant Audie Murphy Club Aug. 15 at the command headquarters at Redstone Arsenal.

Inducted were: Staff Sgt. Jason Burnett, 1st Space Battalion, Colorado Springs, Colo.; Sgt. 1st Class Jeremy Cutshall, 1st Space Bn., Colorado Springs; Staff Sgt. Justin Espinosa, 1st Space Bn., Joint Tactical Ground Station-Europe, Stuttgart, Germany; Staff Sgt. Joseph Lussier, Company E, 53rd Signal Bn., Okinawa, Japan; Staff Sgt. David Padilla, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, USASMDC/ARSTRAT, Colorado Springs; Sgt. 1st Class Vincent Perches, 1st Space Bn., JTAGS-Central Command, Qatar; Sgt. 1st Class Thomas Trout, Co. E, 53rd Signal Bn., Okinawa; Sgt. Anthony Wright, Co. A, 53rd Signal Bn., Fort Detrick, Md. Not present were: Staff Sgt. Christopher Douglas, 1st Space Battalion, JTAGS-Japan, Misawa, and Staff Sgt. Sherome Snell, Co. E, 53rd Signal Bn., Okinawa.

The SAMC started in 1986 at Fort Hood, Texas, as a way to recognize "NCOs whose leadership achievements and performance merit special recognition," according to the SAMC website. "Members must… '…exemplify leadership characterized by personal concern for the needs, training, development, and welfare of Soldiers and concern for families of Soldiers.'"

"The level of these Soldiers is by far the cream of the crop of SMDC and the Army," said Sgt. Maj. John Mattie, SMDC G3 sergeant major. "Following with this year's Profession of Arms campaign, these newly inducted Soldiers embody the Profession of Arms and what it means to be a professional Soldier."

The club is for NCOs only, and inductees are recommended by their NCO chain of command to participate in the board examination process.

"The board was one of the most accurate tests of leadership that I've experienced in the Army," said Espinosa. "They used scenario-based questions to guage all aspects of leadership to grow our Soldiers on."

The club went Army-wide in 1994, and in 1998 was estimated to have more than 3,000 members. Only the top 2 percent of NCOs are inducted.

"This was one of the most important events in my military career," said Perches. "It is the culmination of what I want to be and what I want to do."

Each inductee was awarded an Army Commendation Medal by Lt. Gen. Richard P. Formica, USASMDC/ARSTRAT's commanding general. In addition, Al Hobbs, a retired Army sergeant major, presented each inductee with the SAMC medal and a watch.

One Soldier's family was able to attend the ceremony, and Formica recognized them for their sacrifice.

"Families make it possible for our Soldiers to accomplish their mission," Formica said. "They stay behind and hold down the fort and keep things running for our Soldiers."

The club is named in honor of Sgt. Audie L. Murphy, the most decorated American combat Soldier of World War II. Murphy received every decoration for valor offered by the United States and an additional five presented to him by France and Belgium. Murphy died in 1971 in an airplane accident.