FORT SILL, Okla. (Oct. 6, 2016) -- Drill Sgt. (Staff Sgt.) Anna Lozano was inducted into the Fort Sill Sergeant Audie Murphy Club (SAMC) on Sept. 29 at the Kerwin Auditorium in Snow Hall.
Lozano, who is in charge of new recruits in A Battery, 1st Battalion, 31st Field Artillery, said membership into the prestigious organization benefits not just her, but allows her to help the newer noncommissioned officers as well.
"I'm very happy and proud," she said, and acknowledged that the many rounds of board reviews from battery, brigade to post level, as well as "all that studying" was very challenging.
Lozano received the Army Commendation Medal, the SAMC medallion, framed certificate and coin, all presented by Fires Center of Excellence and Fort Sill Command Sgt. Maj. Carl Fagan.
Other SAMC members, wearing the signature medals on a pale blue ribbon around their necks, as well as other NCOs, attended the induction ceremony. The invocation was given by Sgt. Carlos Hernandez, Headquarters Battery, 30th Air Defense Artillery.
Three "notable NCOs" were featured in a presentation, with their accomplishments recited by Audie Murphy members who began telling their stories in the rear of the auditorium, and slowly walked to the front as the stories unfolded.
Sgt. 1st Class Anthony Bryen, B Battery, 3rd Battalion, 6th Air Defense Artillery, told the story of Sgt. Mitchell Stout, who joined Army in 1967, serving in the 1st Battalion, 44th Artillery Regiment in Vietnam, and volunteered for another tour. "When his best friend asked him, 'Why do you want to go back?" Sgt. Stout replied, 'I go where my country needs me.'"
In 1970, a North Vietnamese grenade landed in a bunker and Sgt. Stout picked it up, holding it close to his body to shield his men, and it exploded before he could toss it out. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for giving his life.
"He is also the only Medal of Honor recipient in the Air Defense Artillery Branch," recited Bryen, "And that is why Sgt. Mitchell Stout is a notable NCO."
Staff Sgt. Janina Simmons, C Battery, 1st Battalion, 40th Field Artillery, told of the accomplishments of African-American Sgt. Maj. Mildred Kelly. She obtained a college degree and in 1950 enlisted in the Women's Army Corps.
"She set her goal towards making it towards the top of the rank structure and become a first sergeant," recited Simmons. "Even though in 1948 President Truman signed executive order 9981 in 1948 which provided equal opportunity and treatment in the armed forces, it wasn't until 1954 the last all-black unit had been abolished and segregation had officially ended in the military."
In 1959 Kelly was promoted to staff sergeant, and in 1974 "Kelly became the first African-American woman to hold both the grade and position of command sergeant major. She believed that no matter how far you go, you could always look to higher opportunities."
Sgt. 1st Class Timothy Wood described the exploits of 110-pound, five-foot-five Staff Sgt. Audie Murphy, who was turned down by the Marines and the paratroopers before joining the Army at age 18. A lot of warrior was in that small package.
A native Texan, Murphy was raised on a sharecropper's farm as one of 12 children. At age 16 he was forced to drop out of school and provide for his siblings when his mother died after his father deserted the family.
"After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Audie decided to enlist in the military," recited Wood. "He was promoted from private to staff sergeant and earned a battlefield commission to second lieutenant. He was the recipient of 33 awards and decorations, including every medal for valor that America gives. Audie earned the Medal of Honor for his actions on 26 January 1945. As commander of Bravo Company 2nd Lt. Murphy and his two dozen men were engaged by six German tanks and waves of infantry. Audie's machine gun squad was taken out. One of the tank destroyers slid down a hill and had to be abandoned, and the second was hit with artillery fire and began to burn. Audie directed his men into the woods to take cover while he single handedly engaged the enemy with small arms fire and directing artillery fire with his radio. Once the tanks were abreast his position, Audie moved to the burning tank destroyer and engaged the enemy with the mounted .50-caliber machine gun, exposing himself to enemy fire from three sides. He held off the German advancement for over an hour, eliminating most of the enemy with his direct fire. He stopped only once when he was completely out of ammunition, regrouped with his men, refused medical care for a gunshot wound he sustained to the leg and led a counter attack, pushing the Germans back."
Murphy also led a campaign on shell shock and battle fatigue (now known as post traumatic stress disorder) to get the Veterans Administration to study it and provide medical care for those suffering from it. "Audie was a dedicated leader both on and off the battlefield, in and out of the military, and that is why he is a notable NCO," concluded Wood.
Command Sgt. Maj. Jason Maynard, 1st Battalion, 19th Field Artillery, and senior enlisted adviser for the Sgt. Audie Murphy Club, was the guest speaker. Maynard, who will leave in mid-October for a new assignment as senior artillery adviser at Fort Irwin, Calif., spoke about what makes an organization effective.
"First, never quit," he said. "As a leader, quitting is not an option. All eyes are on the leaders, and the impact from giving up is absolutely unacceptable. Having the ability to bounce back from adversity by getting up, re-evaluating our shortcomings, then retrying a task is something every Soldier learns in basic combat training. As leaders we must carry on that mindset so that our future leaders will continue to lead from the front."
The second characteristic is empowering others. "We should be continuing to learn from one another, educate each other on changes using professional development, and share ideas personally and professionally," said Maynard. " Having open communication should be at the forefront of everything we do. We cannot continue to look the other way when we see something wrong.
"Third, organize your people and build teams. As leaders we are charged with identifying individual strengths and weaknesses to insure that we capitalize on everyone's efforts." He said some members must be removed from a team when necessary "in order to ensure we have the right people on the team. If we continue to have the wrong people on the team we lose effectiveness and risk hurting our organization."
After he received a token of appreciation for his service to the club, the members stood and recited by heart The Creed of the Noncom-missioned Officer and sang "The Army Song."
Having completed all ceremonial customs, those in attendance gathered to congratulate the new inductee.
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