FORT BENNING, Ga., (March 16 2016) -- Two outstanding noncommissioned officers received the honor of being inducted into the Sgt. Audie Murphy Club March 9 in Derby Auditorium.
Staff Sgt. Justin Jones, 194th Armor Brigade, and Staff Sgt. Gary Sommer, 1st Battalion, 46th Infantry Regiment, were honored as inductees.
"Pride is a huge factor in this for me, just to be associated with Audie Murphy himself and his prestigious club. Everything this club represents, for not only the present but also the future. It's an honor to be a part of it," said Sommer.
Jones expressed similar pride as he described what being inducted meant to him.
"Many noncommissioned officers have worn this before me, but it is about the man who is on the medallion. Audie Murphy did a lot in his life, he served his country in war and in peace and a lot of people don't know that after the war was over he continued to serve his country through outreach and veterans programs. It really means a lot to me that I have earned the right to wear his medallion around my neck," Jones said.
The Sgt. Audie Murphy club is a club for noncommissioned officers who exemplify leadership characterized by personal concern for the needs, training, development and welfare of Soldiers and concern for Families of Soldiers, according to the Sgt. Audie Murphy Club website.
The club is named after Audie Leon Murphy, the most decorated U.S. combat Soldier of World War II. Murphy is credited with killing, wounding or capturing 240 enemy soldiers, was wounded three times and fought in nine major campaigns across Europe. Murphy started out as a private but received a battlefield commission as a 2nd Lt.
After his time in the military, Murphy went to Hollywood where he starred in 26 films over 15 years, including "To Hell and Back" which was based on a book he wrote about his war experience. Murphy died at the age of 46 in a plane crash but his legacy continues to inspire Soldiers today.
Both of the inductees were recommended by their chain of command and then put through a board process to be selected as a member of the club.
"The boards were extremely strenuous, extremely strict. I prepared by spending every waking moment in between training Soldiers studying. I would have my Soldiers quiz me when we had lulls out at the ranges, and when I pulled 24-hour duty I would walk through the bays and have them quiz me," said Sommer.
Membership is an attainable goal to anyone who is willing to put in the effort and the time necessary, said Sommer.
"Be the leader that you would like to see and your peers and seniors above you will recognize that."
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