FORT BENNING, Ga., (Feb. 4, 2015) -- For Staff Sgt. Thomas Bryant, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion (Airborne), 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment, resiliency may have been what kept him alive following an ambush in 2006, but it also pushed him to the top of his game as he was named United States Army Infantry School Instructor of the Quarter in 2015.
Master Sgt. Gregg Smith, Infantry School operations sergeant, said any unit that falls under the Infantry School can send instructors to compete in the Instructor of the Quarter board.
"We're trying to get a representation of the total Soldier," Smith said. "It's not just having the confidence in your profession, but it's also having the professionalism, maturity, communication skillset to work with Soldiers of various learning abilities and be effective."
The competitors must be able to communicate that effectively to a board of command sergeants major.
Bryant, a Pathfinder School instructor, was awarded USAIS Instructor of the Quarter and said he takes pride in adding the title to his list of achievements.
"It means a lot to me; I'm proud to have won it, especially for my battalion, the 507th," Bryant said.
He is not the only one who recognizes his drive and resiliency, as Master Sgt. Nathan Bryant, HHC, 1st Bn., 507th PIR, said he stands out from most.
"His motivation to constantly set himself apart from his peers has resulted in him graduating Ranger School, becoming the driver for the (then-) Chief of the Infantry, Brig. Gen. David Haight, becoming a member of the Sergeant Audie Murphy Club, becoming the 1st Bn., 507th PIR, 2014 Black Hat of the Year and becoming the USAIS Instructor of the Quarter," Nathan Bryant said.
Winning qualifies the staff sergeant to be eligible for the USAIS Instructor of Year competition.
"Thomas Bryant was a great selection for the USAIS Instructor of the Quarter not just because the board selected him as such, but also because he is a great example of resiliency and motivation," Nathan Bryant said.
Through Thomas Bryant's time in the Army, he has come to find his resiliency has taken him on a never-ending battle to be the best he can be when facing any new challenge, he said.
In 2006, the now-staff sergeant was wounded in an ambush during his first deployment to Afghanistan with this unit, the 173rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team. He was sent to Germany where he would spend a year in the Warrior Transition Unit. There, it was found he had cancer for the second time, he said.
Thomas Bryant beat testicular cancer when he was 19, but this time he was told it had moved up to his abdomen, lungs and pelvic area, he said.
Ready to fight cancer again, he said he was told the treatments may cause him to gain a significant amount of weight.
Through his battle, he said found strength in reading about Lance Armstrong's battle with cancer. Thomas Bryant read his book, bought a bike and was determined to keep himself healthy.
Following three months of BEP (bleomycin, etoposide and cisplatin) chemotherapy treatments, physical training whenever he could fit it in and being off from his work on the line, Thomas Bryant had won another battle. He said he wanted to go back to the line. Nathan Bryant said it was because of his resiliency and determination that he did return.
"When a person is wounded down range, all they want to do is get back with their buds," Thomas Bryant said. "That was me all the way. As an Infantryman, that's your bread and butter - leading troops.
"I worked very hard for an RTD, return to duty," Thomas Bryant said.
With his return, Thomas Bryant had another deployment before getting orders to the Maneuver Center of Excellence at Fort Benning.
From there, Thomas Bryant was sent to be a Pathfinder instructor, where he continues to excel, having been awarded for his competency.
Lengthening his list of achievements, the 2014 PIR Black Hat of the Year said he won't be able to compete again this year for the competition in March, but he will help to run it.
Thomas Bryant said his time away from the line allows him to spend time with his Family, which includes his wife, Veronica and two daughters Sophia and Noemi.
Social Sharing