KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan - Two Soldiers assigned to Train, Advise, Assist Command -- South received an exceptional honor at Kandahar Airfield March 1.
Brig. Gen. Viet Luong, commander, TAAC-S, personally promoted Staff Sgt. Clayton Trimm and Sgt. Eric Laffey (formerly Sgt. Trimm and Spc. Laffey), both of Task Force No Slack, TAAC-S, under the standards of the Army's battlefield promotion program.
The Soldiers are assigned to B Company, 326th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, deployed from Fort Campbell, Ky.
"These two Soldiers have demonstrated excellent performance, and I am extremely proud to promote them," said Luong. "Their accomplishments are a credit not only to themselves, but to their unit."
The Army's battlefield promotion program allows commanders to select deserving Soldiers for promotion outside the normal standards. The Army allocates a very small number of battlefield promotions each quarter, and commanders nominate select Soldiers from their units.
Additionally, the Soldiers must be serving in imminent danger (combat) conditions to qualify.
"It's definitely a privilege … a little bit different to step up and get used to, but it's not extremely difficult," said Laffey. "Everything comes with time."
To qualify for the opportunity, Soldiers must demonstrate an extraordinary performance of duty, integrity, moral standards, and potential for greater responsibilities, as judged by their chains of command.
Laffey and Trimm's leadership further expounded on their performances.
"Spc. Laffey at the time [of promotion] was an equipment operator acting as a combat engineer team leader," said Capt. Cullen McPeak, commander, B Company. "[Staff] Sgt. Trimm leads an engineer bloodhound [a small unit dedicated to route clearance] as an attachment to an infantry platoon, so he is the expert engineer for every infantry mission providing clearance capabilities, dismounted and mounted."
The Soldiers' battalion commander, battalion command sergeant major, brigade commander, and brigade command sergeant major must individually review and approve each battlefield promotion.
Soldiers who receive battlefield promotions do not go before promotion boards and do not require a set number of promotion points, as the vast majority of Soldiers do. Their commands promote them on their potential as demonstrated in the performance of their duties.
Overall, Laffey gave credit to his unit.
"I'd like to thank all my leadership … I definitely couldn't have done it without them, or had the privilege to do so," he said.
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