JORDAN - Sgt. Jonathan Taylor is a cavalry scout section sergeant with 5th Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, who excels at what he does for the military.
"There is a saying we have in the scout world; we are the jack-of-all-trades," said Taylor. "We can do a lot of what an infantry platoon, a tank platoon and combat engineers do, but we are the only ones that really do any kind of reconnaissance for the command."
For Taylor, service to his country runs in the family. His great-grandfather served during World War II, his grandfather served in Korea, and his father served in Iraq.
"I know the military, I'm good at it. I chose to be a scout because my father was a scout. Plus, I didn't want to be infantry," he said jokingly.
Lt. Col. Brad Duplessis, the commander of 5-4 Cavalry, made mention during a joint training exercise at the Jordanian Training Center, Jordan, that some of his junior Soldiers and noncommissioned officers, to include Taylor, were constantly gaining valuable experience and doing jobs that were two levels above their grades or position that they would normally fill five to ten years down the road.
"He is one of the more tactically savvy scouts that I have in my platoon," said Sgt. 1st Class Todd Aeverman, a platoon sergeant with C Troop, 5-4 Cavalry. "Taylor possesses all of the skills I look for in a leader. If we need to motivate a Soldier, he gets the job done. He is one of our most competent NCOs."
According to Aeverman, Taylor wants to broaden his knowledge, which is what drives him. He dives into the work gathering whatever knowledge he can and uses it to better himself.
"His adaptability, critical-thinking and problem-solving skills put him right up there with the best of them. What makes him stand out is he loves what he does. That kind of person is hard to find nowadays," Aeverman added.
Within the troop, Taylor is regarded as one of the best NCO's said Staff Sgt. Felix Molina, a section sergeant with 5-4 Cavalry, who has worked with Taylor for more than a year.
"Taylor is one of the muscles in our platoon," said Molina. "He is pretty knowledgeable on everything. When things need to get done, he gets it done. You don't have to go behind him to double check if a task was completed."
The ability to motivate and inspire is what Army leaders do.
Taylor said his commitment to his craft is building up and mentoring Soldiers, but supporting his wife and daughter are the fuel for it.
"Everything I do to progress further in the Army is based on my family," said Taylor, a native of Junction City, Kansas. "I was raised to always take care and provide for my family, no matter what, my family always comes first."
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