AL UDEID AIR BASE, Qatar -- In 2008, the Army announced a one-year pilot program making active Army, Guard and Reserve Soldiers in grades E-1 through E-5 eligible for battlefield promotions.
The battlefield promotion program recognizes Soldiers for their extraordinary duty performance while serving in combat or under combat conditions.
Central Command recently held a battlefield promotion board with a population of deployed Soldiers within the command's area of responsibility. Sgt. Sofia Duncan, a Charleston, S.C., native and supply sergeant for Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 31st Air Defense Artillery Brigade, received a battlefield promotion to staff sergeant.
To qualify for this type of promotion, Soldiers must be deployed serving within Afghanistan or supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
"This promotion makes me feel like anything is possible. Being in a support MOS and trying to get promoted can be challenging. This promotion has taught me that if you remain focused on the mission and always push yourself to go one step further you can achieve so much more," said Duncan.
The new staff sergeant thanked her fiancé, Sgt. 1st Class LeArthur Williams: "He has always motivated me to keep going, and never give up."
She also expressed her appreciation for support she received from her family and co-workers in the 31st ADA.
"I would also like to thank ... Command Sergeant Major Dominguez and Colonel Morrissey for recommending me for this promotion," she said.
The program waives time-in-service and time-in-grade requirements for corporals or specialists being promoted to sergeant. It also postpones minimum military education requirements and waives promotion boards for sergeants being promoted to staff sergeant.
"I am very proud of having one of my Soldiers promoted by the battlefield promotion system. Staff Sergeant Duncan is absolutely deserving of the promotion, and we challenged her on many levels daily without slowing down to ensure she was ready for the next level of responsibility," said Master Sgt. Loretto Gallegos, 31st ADA Brigade noncommissioned officer in charge of support operations. "She was hand selected to deploy with the S4 Section because of all her potential. Staff Sergeant Duncan has grown tremendously into an outstanding NCO and an asset to the 31st ADA Brigade by being forward deployed to learn a wider scope of sustainment operations."
Maj. Ray Fails, the brigade's sustainment operations officer, said Duncan's skills and qualifications made her deserving of the promotion before her packet was submitted for the battlefield promotion.
"She is not only technically proficient at her job; she is also a well-developed leader who seeks every opportunity to learn and develop junior Soldiers," said the major. "This was the first opportunity I've witnessed a battlefield promotion; I believe Staff Sergeamt Duncan will excel at whatever she decides to do in the future."
Soldiers may only receive one battlefield during their career, so subsequent promotions must be earned through normal routes.
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